Rapid Prototyping of 3D Biochips for Cell Motility Studies Using Two-Photon Polymerization

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Cellular migration is crucial for physiological and pathological processes, including cancer metastasis.
• The extracellular environment and mechanical forces significantly influence cell motility strategies.
• Studying single-cell behavior under controlled topological constraints is vital for biological insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel multilayer microfluidic lab-on-a-chip constructs for studying cell motility.
• To create devices enabling tailored migration areas and optical accessibility for cell behavior analysis.
• To investigate cellular responses to mechanical stress induced by micro-constrictions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized two-photon polymerization, a sub-micrometric additive manufacturing technique.
• Fabricated 3D structures in biocompatible resins for custom biochips.
• Designed microfluidic devices with micro-constrictions to apply mechanical stress and confinement.

Main Results:

• Successfully realized versatile multilayer microfluidic devices with customizable migration areas.
• Demonstrated complete optical accessibility for observing cellular dynamics.
• Showcased the device's utility by studying murine neuronal cancer cell motility under high confinement, revealing unique migration mechanisms.

Conclusions:

• The developed lab-on-a-chip constructs offer a powerful tool for analyzing cell migration under defined mechanical and topological constraints.
• The technique allows for the creation of bespoke experimental environments for diverse cell types and research questions.
• This approach provides valuable insights into cellular migration strategies, particularly in the context of cancer metastasis.