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A Lab-On-A-Chip Platform for Stimulating Osteocyte Mechanotransduction and Analyzing Functional Outcomes of Bone Remodeling
Published on: May 21, 2020
6.8K
Development of bone cell microarrays in microfluidic chips for studying osteocyte-osteoblast communication under
Charlotte Yvanoff1,2, Ronnie G Willaert1,2
1Research Group Structural Biology Brussels, Alliance Research Group VUB-UGent NanoMicrobiology (NAMI), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Biofabrication
|February 2, 2022
Summary
This study introduces a novel microfluidic platform for detailed bone remodeling research. The platform enables studying cell communication and responses to mechanical stress, aiding in osteoporosis therapeutic development.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Cell Biology
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Bone remodeling is crucial for skeletal health, and its disruption causes disorders like osteoporosis.
- Understanding cell-cell communication in bone is vital for developing effective osteoporosis therapies.
- Current tools lack the resolution to fully unravel the bone remodeling cycle at the molecular level.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a microfluidic platform for detailed investigation of the bone remodeling cycle.
- To study cell-cell communication between osteocytes and osteoblasts via connexin 43-gap junctions.
- To enable the discovery of new therapeutic compounds for bone disorders.
Main Methods:
- Development of a novel cell printing method to create bone cell arrays in microfluidic channels.
- High-resolution characterization of cell-cell physical contacts using correlative atomic force microscopy (AFM)-fluorescence microscopy.
- Single-cell mechanostimulation using AFM nanoindentation and fluorescent analysis of mechanoresponses.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a microfluidic platform compatible with AFM-based single-cell mechanostimulation.
- Successfully analyzed in vivo-like calcium (Ca++) waves in a printed osteocyte-osteoblast network.
- Validated the platform's functionality by inducing cellular responses to mechanical stimulation via fluid flow shear stress.
Conclusions:
- The developed microfluidic platform offers a new tool to understand bone remodeling at the molecular level.
- This platform facilitates detailed studies of osteocyte-osteoblast interactions and responses to mechanical stimuli.
- The system holds potential for discovering novel therapeutic compounds for bone disorders like osteoporosis.
