FAQS

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ORDER CONFIRMATIONS:
Xona Microfluidics^® Inc will e-mail an order confirmation with your order details and estimated shipping date within 24 hours of receiving your order. If you do not receive an e-mail order confirmation within 24 hours please contact us at orders@xona.us.

The silicone devices are made of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and XonaChips^® are made of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC). The ChipTrays are polystyrene.

Yes, PDMS, COC and polystyrene are considered biologically inert and safe for both humans and cells.

Both PDMS and COC are optically transparent and suitable for most types of microscopy and cell imaging.

Our multicompartment devices and chips allow researchers to compartmentalize neuronal cultures. The devices/chips consist of two or more parallel culture compartments separated by a microgroove barrier. Neurons are typically loaded on one side of the device. The size of the microgroove barrier allows axons to grow through the barrier while keeping the cell bodies (somata) isolated from the distal compartment. Please note, however, that the microgrooves may allow some cells to migrate within the barrier, especially with high density cultures.

The devices/chips also make it possible to perform axotomy, i.e., cutting axons via vacuum aspiration in the distal compartment and observing their regrowth.

The devices/chips are also small in size; thus, researchers save on the expensive reagents needed for neuronal culture.

There are numerous other uses for these devices/chips. We encourage customers to search our Publications page and the the literature to learn about additional uses for our devices.

The hydrostatic pressure between compartments separated by the high fluidic resistance microgrooves allows the researcher to fluidically isolate one or more compartment. This is accomplished by keeping the volumes in the wells on one side of the device higher than the other side. The difference in volume creates hydrostatic pressure, thus fluidically isolating each compartment. Refer to the Protocols for details.

Yes. However, keep in mind that in most cases 80,000 to 200,000 cells are being loaded per device. Therefore, the amount of protein lysate obtained may or may not be suitable for your application. The amount of protein lysate from the axonal compartment will be even lower. If you seek to do a western blot with an antibody to a protein known to be low in abundance with lysate from the axonal compartment, one device may not yield enough protein. It is possible to pool lysates from several devices, however, Xona Microfluidics^® Inc makes no guarantees that you will be able to detect your protein of interest.

Yes. However, as with protein, the low amount of cells in the device generally translates into low yields of RNA. Like for protein lysates, devices can be pooled in order to obtain enough RNA to detect low yield RNAs. Your success in isolating RNA will depend on the abundance of your target RNA.

Plasma bonding involves using a plasma cleaner to produce reactive oxygen species on the surface of both the Silicone Device and glass. In addition to cleaning the glass and Silicone Device, the plasma cleaner also sterilizes. After treating with plasma when the Silicone Device comes in contact with the glass it forms a tight irreversible bond. Plasma treating also makes the surfaces hydrophilic, thereby facilitating the introduction of liquids into the device. The use of a plasma cleaner is only relevant for the Silicone Devices, and not the XonaChips.

No, Silicone Devices can be bound to cover glass without using a plasma cleaner. It is, however, important to use clean, sterile glass. Refer to the Protocol page for detailed instructions.