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Engineering "Endothelialized" Microfluidics for Investigating Vascular and Hematologic Processes Using
Robert G Mannino1,2,3,4,5, Navaneeth Kr Pandian6, Abhishek Jain6
1The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering
|May 15, 2018
Summary
Microfluidic devices offer advanced in vitro models of blood vessels. This review highlights novel fabrication and endothelialization methods for studying cell interactions and advancing personalized medicine.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cell Biology
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Studying blood cell-endothelium interactions in vivo is challenging due to biological complexity and visualization limits.
- In vitro models are essential for controlled investigation of these interactions.
- Microfluidic systems offer a powerful tool to mimic in vivo vasculature at the microscale.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advances in endothelialized microfluidic systems.
- To focus on non-traditional fabrication and endothelialization techniques.
- To explore applications in disease research and personalized medicine.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of microfluidic channels using gas-permeable, optically transparent substrates.
- Vascularization of microchannels via endothelial cell monolayer coating.
- Review of novel fabrication and endothelialization strategies.
Main Results:
- Endothelialized microfluidics provide a reductionist, controlled in vitro model of the microvasculature.
- Advances in fabrication and endothelialization enhance the utility of these systems.
- These platforms enable detailed study of cellular interactions.
Conclusions:
- Endothelialized microfluidics represent a significant advancement in modeling human physiology.
- Novel techniques are expanding the capabilities and applications of these systems.
- Future directions include significant potential for personalized medicine applications.