Flow Control for Drug Development

Throughout the drug pipeline, the Elveflow OB1 controls how a compound reaches your cells or your device. It perfuses cells, a chip, or a 3D model from a sealed reservoir at a flow rate you set, pulseless and responding in about ten milliseconds, and an Elveflow flow sensor holds that flow rate through the run. With an Elveflow MUX distribution valve it switches between solutions in sequence, so a binding assay or a screen can step through drugs, washes and concentrations. Because it also delivers pressure and vacuum, it can actuate a delivery device or drive an injection. So it presents compounds under controlled, repeatable flow for discovery and screening, and drives the device or route for delivery.

The concentration comes from the solutions you prepare, and for a range of concentrations, from a concentration-gradient chip. What the Elveflow OB1 controls is the flow that delivers them. Enter a target flow rate, an Elveflow MFS or BFS sensor reads the real flow, and the OB1 trims its pressure until the two match, so the flow stays steady and the exposure is repeatable. To change solutions in time, a drug, a wash, then the next drug, an Elveflow MUX distribution valve routes each one through the same line in turn, up to twelve solutions, and combining several distribution valves extends this beyond twelve. So you control the concentration through your solutions and the chip, and the steadiness and timing of the exposure through the OB1.

Combine the OB1 with a concentration-gradient chip. The OB1 drives the inlet flows, and the chip turns one stock into a range of concentrations across its chambers, so a single run exposes cells to a spread of concentrations at once. Because the flow is steady and reaches its setpoint fast, the gradient holds across the chip, which is what makes the dose-response comparable from one chamber to the next.

Yes, and the two are worth separating. In parallel, one OB1 drives up to four independent lines from a single interface, each with its own solution and flow rate, so you run and compare several conditions at once; matching that with syringe pumps would take one per line, and a single line can also supply many identical assays for replicates. In sequence, an Elveflow MUX distribution valve steps one line through a drug, a wash, then the next drug. The OB1’s edge here is the parallel independent lines, and the two combine when a screen needs both.

For steady, reproducible flow, pressure-driven control fits drug work best. A syringe pump pulses at low flow and stops to refill, so a wash-in/wash-out breaks when it reloads and shear-sensitive cells feel the pulses. A peristaltic pump recirculates but its rollers pulse, and the pulsation is tied to the flow rate. The Elveflow OB1 delivers a continuous flow from a non-contact pump, reaches its setpoint in about ten milliseconds, drives up to four lines, and never touches your drug. Those independent lines let you run several conditions in parallel and compare them in a single experiment.

Yes. Because the OB1 delivers pressure and vacuum on programmable profiles, it can actuate a delivery device or drive an injection. In one study it actuated a soft-robotic device, compressing a hydrogel to release a therapeutic protein on demand. In another it drove intradermal injection through hollow microneedles while the flow rate and pressure were measured with Elveflow sensors. You program the waveform and the fast response reproduces it, whether that is a slow rise or a series of pulses.

Yes. A programmed, sensor-held flow rate takes the pump out as a source of run-to-run variation, since the same flow profile repeats identically each time and the same solution changes land at the same points whoever launched the run, so each replicate sees the same exposure. That reproducibility matters more as non-animal methods gain ground, with the FDA Modernization Act and its roadmap to reduce animal testing, where a standardizable flow setup helps functional drug data count.

Yes. The OB1 is chip-agnostic. It pushes medium into any reservoir and through standard tubing, so it drives a commercial assay chip or your own device the same way, with any aqueous or biological solution. If your setup is unusual, tell us the vessel and your target flow rate and we will confirm the configuration.

The OB1 is a non-contact pump, so the instrument never touches your drug or your medium. The fluid path is only the reservoir, tubing and vessel, which means fewer parts to prepare and one less route for contamination. The reservoirs, caps and tubing Elveflow supplies are autoclavable, so you sterilize them before each run and prepare the wetted path as you would for any sterile assay. No sterility certification is claimed for the instrument itself, since it stays outside the fluid path.

Yes. You program the flow sequence and any solution changes once, and the run proceeds on its own, so a long or overnight exposure runs without someone at the bench. TTL triggers (0/5 V) let the OB1 start a microscope acquisition at a chosen point in the run, or step through a series of conditions. For custom automation the SDK covers Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW and C++, and the software logs the flow data to CSV as it runs.

Contact us through the form and tell us your assay, the chip or device you use, and the flow or delivery profile you need. We will help you match the OB1 configuration, sensors and accessories to your drug-development workflow, and answer setup questions before you buy.