3D cell culture platform for organs-on-a-chip - 2108
- *Abstract
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Overview
Thereis a pressing need for biologically relevant in vitro cell culture models in medical and pharmaceuticalresearch. Traditional 2D cell culturefails to capture many critical aspects of the biochemistry, mechanics andphysiology of the in vivomicroenvironment. 3D cell culturetechniques can help recreate these enhanced cellular interactions, but currenttechnologies lack the dynamic nutrient delivery system seen in in vivo vascular networks.
Invention
Universityof Kentucky researchers are developing 3D tissue culture platforms withimproved features to more accurately mimic invivo conditions, thus producing more reliable results. This novel approach usestopographically-induced vapor entrapment to integrate 3D cell culture into amicrofluidic platform, with an array of open microchannels at the bottom of amacroscale well. The topography of thesemicrochannels makes it energetically unfavorable for media to penetrate themicrochannels from above, so a liquid hydrogel-cell suspension can be pipetteddirectly into the wells, as in standard cell culture, without flooding thechannels.
Cellculture media flows through the microchannels, delivering nutrients, removingwaste, and facilitating gas exchange to mimic in vivo conditions.
Applications
The 3D tissue culture platform can be used in- high-throughputdrug screening
- tissueengineering
- chemical or biochemical detection and analysis
- fundamentalcell or tissue studies
Advantages
- accuratelymimics in vivo cellular microenvironments
- requires no purchases of new lab equipment —compatible with existing equipment(i.e., microscopes, pipettes)
- can be multiplexed
- easy integration of microfluidics and cell culture
- no use of separation membranes that rob the cells of chemicals and mechanical cell-to-cell signaling
Development Stage: demonstrated multiplexing on a multi-well plate platform
IP Status: patent pending
- Country/Region
- USA
