Overflow microfluidic networks for open and closed cell cultures on chip

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Microfluidics offers significant potential for biomedical research, particularly in analyzing cell population interactions within complex diseases.
• Studying intercellular communication is crucial for understanding diseases like neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate "overflow" microfluidic networks (oMFNs) for culturing and studying interacting cell populations.
• To demonstrate the utility of oMFNs in dissecting specific intercellular pathways relevant to brain diseases.

Main Methods:

• Development of oMFNs with open cell chambers for initial cell plating and in vitro culture.
• Integration of overflow zones for liquid management during chip sealing and microfluidic connections for interactive flow control.
• Utilizing a two-chamber oMFN to co-culture microglia and astrocytes, challenging astrocytes with glutamate to observe purinergic receptor activation in microglia.

Main Results:

• oMFNs allow for the deposition, culture, and study of cell populations in vitro over several days.
• The system successfully demonstrated the activation of purinergic receptors in microglia stimulated by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) released from glutamate-challenged astrocytes.
• The chip design facilitates cell phenotype development, interactive flow control, and post-culture analysis including staining and visualization.

Conclusions:

• oMFNs are a valuable tool for studying primary cells and their interactions in a controlled microenvironment.
• This technology is particularly relevant for dissecting intercellular communication pathways in neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases.
• oMFNs provide a versatile platform for advancing research in complex cellular interactions and disease mechanisms.