Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 11, 2026
12:12
Enhanced Viability for Ex vivo 3D Hydrogel Cultures of Patient-Derived Xenografts in a Perfused Microfluidic Platform
Published on: December 5, 2020
6.6K
Well plate-based perfusion culture device for tissue and tumor microenvironment replication
1Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Stevens Institute of Technology, 1 Castle Point on Hudson, Hoboken, NJ, 07030, USA.
Lab on a Chip
|May 30, 2015
Summary
This study introduces a novel perfusion culture device for advanced in vitro models. The versatile system supports cell expansion, preserves tissue phenotypes, and enables high-throughput drug screening for personalized therapeutics.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Tissue Engineering
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Developing accurate in vitro models for drug development faces challenges with primary cell maintenance, microenvironment replication, and high-throughput screening.
- Existing culture devices often fail to support complex tissue microenvironments for evaluating drug responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report a versatile well plate-based perfusion culture device for creating advanced in vitro models.
- To demonstrate the device's utility in studying human multiple myeloma cells, murine osteocytes, and immune-epithelial cell interactions.
- To showcase the device's capability for high-throughput drug response evaluation and personalized therapeutics.
Main Methods:
- Designed and fabricated a novel well plate-based perfusion culture device.
- Utilized the device for human multiple myeloma cell expansion and drug response assessment.
- Reconstructed 3D murine osteocyte networks and simulated T cell-epithelial cell interactions within the device.
Main Results:
- The perfusion device facilitated human multiple myeloma cell expansion and drug response evaluation.
- The device preserved the physiological phenotype of primary murine osteocytes by reconstructing their 3D network.
- The device successfully recapitulated immune cell-epithelial cell interactions by circulating T cells through intestinal epithelial cells.
Conclusions:
- The developed perfusion culture device offers a versatile platform for replicating tissue and tumor microenvironments.
- The device supports cell and biomaterial placement, microenvironment replication, non-adherent cell circulation, and conventional cell characterization.
- Future work should focus on manufacturing and operational aspects for routine, widespread use of the device in drug development.
