PULSE WIDTH MODULATION OF LIQUID FLOWS: TOWARDS DYNAMIC CONTROL OF CELL MICROENVIRONMENTS

Advanced methods for live cell analysis help to understand fundamental processes within a cell. We propose a method to generate specific input stimuli that are essentially needed to get insights to dynamic cellular behavior. By Pulse-WidthModulation (PWM) of liquid flows, we offer a fast and reliable way to generate temporal profiles of media concentration that can be combined with other microfluidic devices. Its functionality is demonstrated in experiments of salt concentration ramping, which is of high interest and biological relevance for maintaining activation of the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) Hog1 in the High Osmolarity Glycerol (HOG) pathway.