Component Analyses

Summary

Each team member chose and researched a likely component that would be included in the final design. Three of us chose object areas that would make up the system while the last member selected research in inert materials in general. 

The analyses helped identify high risk areas and resolve high risk areas early on, while jumpstarting components later down the timeline.

The microinjector system must simultaneously inject enough chemokine for fluorescent microscopy to detect it and not mechanically perturbate the cells.  Perturbations can askew the gathered results and not getting any results would make the experiment meaningless.

The capillary tip must be located under an inverted microscope at 40x with relative ease. In addition, they have to limit the kinetic energy at the outlet to reduce the injector head's ability to perturbate the injection area while minimizing dead volume because chemokine is expensive.

The micromanipulator must position and orient the chemokine injector head with the capillary tip connected into the petri dish reliably and accurately. The device allows recalibration of the tip into the field of view of the microscope with relative ease. In addition, the device allows fine movement of the tip while under the microscope.

An inert material must not react with chemokine when it comes in contact. This can overestimate the amount of chemokine actually injected and can jam the pump.