Microfluidic platforms for hepatocyte cell culture: new technologies and applications

In this article, we summarize the key elements of microfluidic platforms for mimicking in vivo hepatocyte cell culture and the major recent advances in this area. Specifically, we will give brief background and rationale for key design requirements for mimicking in vivo hepatocyte cell culture, and then summarize findings, applications, and limitations from microfluidic platforms that addressed these design requirements. Although no ideal microfluidic platform has so far been developed for fully mimicking in vivo hepatocyte cell culture, some approaches and designs have demonstrated great potential in this area.