How to Run Microfluidic LNP Formulation Without a Microfluidics Engineer

By Joshua Gomes

Run microfluidic LNP formulation without a microfluidics engineer by moving it onto your liquid handler, where your team loads plates, starts a method, and walks away while formulation runs.

Take the engineering out of microfluidic formulation

Microfluidic formulation has traditionally called for engineering skills at every stage, from sourcing the device to running it. Teams that need a custom device must design and fabricate it. Teams that buy off-the-shelf chips usually start from generic mixers, which take qualification and rounds of trial and error before they form consistent LNPs.

The work continues once the device is in hand. Someone has to connect pumps or pressure controllers, route and prime tubing, and calibrate the flow of each phase. Reusable chips then need flushing, cleaning, and troubleshooting between formulations.

Task	Expertise it requires
Designing and fabricating a custom device	Microfluidic design and fabrication
Qualifying an off-the-shelf mixer for LNPs	Method development through trial and error
Connecting pumps or pressure controllers	Fluidic system assembly
Routing and priming tubing	Leak-free plumbing and bubble control
Calibrating flow	Setting and verifying flow rates for each phase
Cleaning reusable chips	Flush protocols and carryover checks
Troubleshooting clogs and bubbles	Diagnosing fluidic failures during a run

None of these tasks is formulation science, yet any one of them can keep a capable formulation team from running microfluidics at all.

Replace fluidic setup with your liquid handler

Any scientist who can load plates and start a method on a liquid handler has every skill on-deck microfluidic formulation requires. Preparing source plates, placing labware, and launching methods from familiar software cover the entire workflow, because the device and the liquid handler take over the fluidic work.

Engineering task	How on-deck formulation handles it
Sourcing and qualifying a mixer	A device built for LNP formulation sits on deck as standard labware
Connecting a flow source	Pipette tips engage the device directly
Loading inputs	The liquid handler dispenses from source plates
Setting flow	A configured method controls every dispense
Changing chips	The liquid handler moves to the next mixer
Collecting samples	Each formulation lands in its own on-deck reservoir

Instead of building and maintaining a fluidic system, a scientist loads the source plates and launches a pre-built method.

Let the device and protocol handle the fluidics

On-deck formulation separates the engineering from the science. The device fixes the flow rate ratio and the mixing path, and the protocol sets total flow rate, dispense volumes, and timing. Your team stays focused on the decisions that shape the screen, from lipids and cargo to plate layout and assays.

Set by	What it controls
The device	Flow rate ratio and mixing path, identical for every formulation
The protocol	Total flow rate, dispense volumes, and timing
Your team	Lipids, cargo, plate layout, and downstream assays

Flow comes from the liquid handler's own pipette tips, so there is no separate flow hardware to install or calibrate. Does Microfluidic LNP Formulation Require a Pressure Controller? explains how the liquid handler drives flow.

Run formulation as a walk-away method

Once the source plates, labware, and method are in place, formulation and collection run from start to finish without anyone stepping in. Formulated samples stay on deck, so dilution and plate prep can follow in the same method.

Step	Who handles it
Preparing source reagents	Your team
Placing labware and launching the method	Your team
Dispensing inputs and formulating	Liquid handler
Collecting and diluting samples	Liquid handler
Reviewing characterization data	Your team

With the liquid handler carrying formulation from the first dispense to the final collection, the same team can take on more formulations without hiring a dedicated microfluidics engineer or automation specialist.

Run microfluidic formulation with the LNP Screening Array

The LNP Screening Array connects to your liquid handler through standard pipette tips, with no pumps to set up and no chips to clean. It is designed specifically for LNP formulation and arrives with a protocol configured and characterized for your liquid handler's pipetting technology, so no one on your team has to design a device, qualify a mixer, or develop a microfluidic method.

Engineering task	With the LNP Screening Array
Device design and qualification	Not needed
Flow hardware setup	Not needed
Flow calibration	Not needed
Chip cleaning	Not needed
Method development	Protocol pre-configured for your pipetting technology

Each formulation is generated in seconds and collected in its own reservoir on deck, ready for dilution in the same method.

Start your first run with our applications team

Our applications team installs the protocol on your liquid handler and helps you run the first formulations alongside your operators on site.

Operators learn to load the LNP Screening Array, launch the method, and recover samples during the first run on their own instrument.

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