A microfluidic chip containing multiple 3D nanofibrous scaffolds for culturing human pluripotent stem cells

Lior Wertheim, Assaf Shapira, Roey J. Amir, Tal Dvir

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

In microfluidics-based lab-on-a-chip systems, which are used for investigating the effect of drugs and growth factors on cells, the latter are usually cultured within the device's channels in two-dimensional, and not in their optimal three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment. Herein, we address this shortfall by designing a microfluidic system, comprised of two layers. The upper layer of the system consists of multiple channels generating a gradient of soluble factors. The lower layer is comprised of multiple wells, each deposited with 3D, nanofibrous scaffold. We first used a mathematical model to characterize the fluid flow within the system. We then show that induced pluripotent stem cells can be seeded within the 3D scaffolds and be exposed to a well-mixed gradient of soluble factors. We believe that utilizing such system may enable in the future to identify new differentiation factors, investigate drug toxicity, and eventually allow to perform analyses on patient-specific tissues, in order to fit the appropriate combination and concentration of drugs.

Original languageEnglish
Article number13LT01
JournalNanotechnology
Volume29
Issue number13
DOIs
StatePublished - 14 Feb 2018
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • General Chemistry
  • General Materials Science
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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