3D printed microfluidics offer several advantages over conventional planar microfabrication techniques including fabrication of 3D microstructures, rapid prototyping, and inertness. While 3D printed materials have been studied for their biocompatibility in cell and tissue culture applications, their compatibility for in vitro biochemistry and molecular biology has not been systematically investigated. Here, we evaluate the compatibility of several common enzymatic reactions in the context of 3D-printed microfluidics: (1) polymerase chain reaction (PCR), (2) T7 in vitro transcription, (3) mammalian in vitro translation, and (4) reverse transcription. Surprisingly, all the materials tested significantly inhibit one or more of these in vitro enzymatic reactions. Inclusion of BSA mitigates only some of these inhibitory effects. Overall, inhibition appears to be due to a combination of the surface properties of the resins as well as soluble components (leachate) originating in the matrix.
Keywords: 3D printing; 3D-printed microfluidics; Photocurable resins; biomicrofluidics; enzymatic reactions; microfluidics.