@article{oai:repo.qst.go.jp:00049080,
 author = {Suzuki, Michiyo and Sakashita, Tetsuya and Hattori, Yuya and Yokota, Yuichiro and Kobayashi, Yasuhiko and Funayama, Tomoo and 鈴木 芳代 and 坂下 哲哉 and 服部 佑哉 and 横田 裕一郎 and 小林 泰彦 and 舟山 知夫},
 journal = {Journal of Neuroscience Methods},
 month = {May},
 note = {Background: Targeted microbeam irradiation of Caenorhabditis elegans allows the effective knockdown of specific regions, thus helping to identify their roles in processes such as locomotion. We previously employed on-chip immobilization of individuals without anesthesia; however, this method was limited by the thickness of the chip, which prevented the detection of ions passing through the animal, and by dehydration of the animals after prolonged immobilization. 
New Method: We developed ultra-thin, ion-penetrable, polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic chips, referred to as Worm Sheets, with and without wettability (hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity), and identified suitable buffer conditions for maintaining moisture in the microfluidic channels. 
Results: Using a collimating microbeam system, we demonstrated that carbon ions (with a range of ~1 mm) could pass through the chip, thus allowing the ions to be detected and the applied radiation dose to therefore by measured accurately. We also examined the locomotion of C. elegans following on-chip immobilization in different buffers. Locomotion was decreased in certain buffers on unwettable chips as a result of dehydration due to evaporation, but not on wettable chips. However, locomotion was unaffected on either chip in the presence of a gelatin-based wash buffer. 
Comparison with Existing Method(s): We developed 300-µm-ultra-thin, wettable, ion-penetrable chips for immobilizing C. elegans and provided initial guidance regarding suitable buffer solutions to maintain moisture in microfluidic channels. 
Conclusions: This improved, wettable chip, together with the identification of suitable buffer conditions, will become a powerful tool for prolonged immobilizing C. elegans, and is widely applicable not only to microbeam irradiation but also to neurobiological assays.},
 pages = {32--37},
 title = {Development of ultra-thin chips for immobilization of Caenorhabditis elegans in microfluidic channels during irradiation and selection of buffer solution to prevent dehydration},
 volume = {306},
 year = {2018}
}