An open-source LED array illumination system for automated multiwell plate cell culture photodynamic therapy experiments
Zhang, Kai ; Timilsina, Sudip ; Waguespack, Matthew ; Kercher, Eric M ; Spring, Bryan Q
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Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) research would benefit from an automated, low-cost, and easy-to-use cell culture light treatment setup capable of illuminating multiple well replicates within standard multiwell plate formats. We present an LED-array suitable for performing high-throughput cell culture PDT experiments. The setup features a water-cooling loop to keep the LED-array temperature nearly constant, thus stabilizing the output power and spectrum. The setup also features two custom-made actuator arms, in combination with a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) technique, to achieve programmable and automatic light exposures for PDT. The setup operates at ~ 690 nm (676-702 nm, spectral output full-width half-maximum) and the array module can be readily adapted to other LED wavelengths. This system provides an illumination field with adjustable irradiance up to 400 mW/cm2 with relatively high spectral and power stability comparing with previously reported LED-based setups. The light doses provided by the LED array were validated with comparison to traditional laser PDT. This open-source illumination platform (including the detailed technical description, fabrication protocols, and parts list provided here) helps to make custom light sources more accessible and of practical use for photomedicine research.
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Zhang K, Timilsina S, Waguespack M, Kercher EM, Spring BQ. An open-source LED array illumination system for automated multiwell plate cell culture photodynamic therapy experiments. Sci Rep. 2022 Nov 11;12(1):19341. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-22020-7. PMID: 36369334; PMCID: PMC9652332.