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Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering

Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering - Poster Session E

U14 - Modifying the Nasal Airway-on-Chip with a bifurcating flow system and mold extraction.

Saturday, October 11, 2025

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PDT

Location: Exhibit Hall F, G & H

Presenting Author(s)

Ashley N. Daughety

Undergraduate Student
Harding University
Searcy, Arkansas, United States

Primary Investigator(s)

KB

Kartik Balachandran

Professor
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States

Last Author(s)

Adrienne Vaughan

Graduate Student
University of Arkansas, United States

Introduction: : The Nasal Airway Lumen-on-Chip (AirLOC) is a device that can simulate physiological conditions of the human nasal airway under an air-liquid interface. The chip is more accurate, ethical, and cost-effective than animal models. The chip has the potential to test drugs, particulate matter (PM) exposure (air pollution), vaccines, and various lung diseases. Current solutions can only test one nasal airway model up to 30 min. The fabrication process can also cause defects in the media chambers, rendering the models unusable. The study aims to maximize the number of chips that can be tested simultaneously and minimize defects of the media chambers.

Materials and

Methods: : Currently, a polylactic acid (PLA) mold is used to create the media chambers, leading to tearing during extraction. Using SOLIDWORKS and a QIDI 3D printer with PLA, a design was created allowing the media chambers to be pushed, instead of pulled, when removing. The new design utilized a two-part, detachable mold. This would ensure minimal forces are needed to remove the chambers.

Using ANSYS Fluent, an addition was created for the flow system to simultaneously run samples on a multiplex AirLOC platform. An aerosolized solution with a concentration of 1x107 beads/mL was put through the flow system using FlowVision to simulate a breathing cycle. A Leica M205 FA Fluorescence Stereo Microscope was used to verify the ANSYS results.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions:: The extraction of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) media chambers proved successful. After 4 batches of 8 media chambers, there was no tearing during demolding. This increases the production of defect-free media chambers 2 fold, as previous fabrication techniques yielded tearing in at least half. Rubber bands were used to minimize PDMS leakage.

The ANSYS Fluent simulations show that the bifurcations maintain flow rate, velocity, and shear stress and that both bifurcating flow systems indicate a linear equation, Q = nQ₀, where n is the amount of chips and Q₀ is the flow rate in the original design. The double bifurcation simulated kept the original conditions within ±4.4% error, which could be due to the meshing limits of ANSYS Fluent student.

The new PDMS mold could bring a stronger argument into making the AirLOC fully out of PDMS, expediting the fabrication process while simultaneously improving the quality of the model. The ANSYS results could bring more efficient testing, while maintaining an accurate and sterile environment.

The bifurcating flow system still needs to be refined. Currently, the system needs to be under constant attention in case of pressure changes or air leaks. Additional studies also need to be done to confirm the ANSYS results and the data needs to be compared to the original model.

Over the course of the Summer 2025 semester, the following was accomplished:
- Created a more efficient method of media chamber extraction
- Engineered a bifurcating flow system that maintains physiological breathing conditions
- Adapted the original flow system for cell culture in an incubator

In the future, the bifurcating flow system will be refined to ensure constant conditions. The system will also be tested with nasal cells and compared to the original system. Similar results would allow for future use of the system lending 2x to 4x experimental samples. Further studies could explore varying PM concentrations, disease states, and drug exposure.

Acknowledgements and/or References (Optional): : We would like to thank the University of Arkansas for implementing the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, the National Science Foundation for the REU program funding, Dr.Kartik Balachandran for the use of the lab and expertise, Adrienne Vaughan for teaching lab procedures and research tips, Justin Tamico Jack for the ANSYS troubleshooting, and everyone in the lab for maintaining a welcome environment!

Refrences
[1] Walls, A. C., van Vegchel, M., Lakey, A., Gauri, H., Dixon, J., Ferreira, L. A., Tandon, I., & Balachandran, K. (2024). A nasal airway-on-chip model to evaluate airflow pre- conditioning during epithelial cell maturation at the air-liquid interface. Biofabrication, 16(4).

[2] Lakey, A., Walls, A. C., & Balachandran, K. (2024). Validation and Optimization of Aerosolized Particle Delivery in a Nasal
Airway-on-Chip Model.