Development of microfluidic channels for the culture of mammalian embryos

Microfluidic channels are explored as a tool for the culture of mammalian embryos. Three different materials are used to construct microfluidic devices for embryo culture: silicon, glass, and polydimethylsiloxane. Practical issues including, loading, localization-visualization and retrieval of the embryos in the microchannels, bubble formation within the device, and development of cleaning and sterilization procedures are discussed and addressed via design iterations. Preliminary data on embryo development within the microchannels have been collected