I am trying to set-up a flow chamber system to study the function of primary cilia. Lots of chambers are commercially available but none are really user friendly. Ibidi seem relatively easy to setup, but as in most such systems I experience the formation of air bubbles in the chamber which in turn result in cell death and erosion. In the beginning I see no bubbles, but overnight run huge bubbles are created which is really frustrating. Any one knows how they are formed and how to avoid them? Thanks in advance
Disclaimer first: I work for a company selling microfluidic research devices for cell migration studies (Gradientech AB).
I also realize that the question is VERY old, but maybe an answer can be helpful anyway for others.
Where the bubbles come from depends partly on what kind of system you are using. One possibility is always that the used medium might not have been degassed and/or temperature equilibrated before start of the experiment, and over time you get an aggregation of invisible microbubbles to form bigger ones.
Depending on the design of the device it is also possible that you experience evaporation of liquid through the chamber material (e.g. in case of silicone matrices), which may result in bubble formation if liquid is not resupplied sufficiently.