Continuous Production of Immunoliposomes using a Microvalve-controlled Microfluidic Device (μFD)

Immunoliposomes (antibody-conjugated liposomes) are highly useful as both a drug carrier in drug delivery and as a reporting probe in immunodiagnostics. However, antibody conjugation is lengthy and cumbersome, because this includes several steps such as derivatization of the antibody, conjugation of the derivatized antibody to liposomes, and separation of the unbound antibodies from immunoliposomes. Recently, liposome preparation steps have simplified by using microfluidic devices (${\mu}FDs$) where liposomes are formed when a stream of lipids in solvent is hydrodynamically focused between two oblique buffer streams in a microchannel. Herein, we report a simple method for the production of immunoliposomes (rabbit IgG-conjugated liposomes) using microvalve-controlled ${\mu}FD$. The presence of antibody on the liposome was verified by observing the binding of immunoliposomes to rabbit IgG on the surface. The results suggest that immunoliposomes can be easily prepared through sequential mixing of antibody, conjugation reagents, preformed liposomes using microvalve-controlled ${\mu}FD$.