Fabrication of a Low-Cost Microfluidic Device for High-Throughput Drug Testing on Static and Dynamic Cancer Spheroid...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Traditional 2D cell cultures lack in vivo relevance for drug development.
• Engineering approaches, like microfluidic devices, offer improved 3D cell culture models.
• Developing cost-effective and accessible tools is crucial for advancing drug screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a simple, low-cost microfluidic device for 3D cell culture.
• To evaluate the impact of dynamic vs. static culture conditions on 3D cell growth and drug response.
• To assess the efficacy of drug-loaded liposomes in 3D cancer spheroids within the microfluidic device.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a Poly Methyl Methacrylate (PMMA)-based microfluidic device (cost: $17.75).
• Culturing of 3D cells under both static and dynamic flow conditions (0.005 mL/min).
• Assessment of cell viability using alpha-methyl-glucoside (α-MG)-loaded GA liposomes in 3D cancer spheroids.

Main Results:

• Dynamic culture conditions significantly impaired cell viability in 3D cancer spheroids.
• Cell viability decreased to nearly 30% after 72 hours under dynamic flow (0.005 mL/min).
• The microfluidic device demonstrated effectiveness in simulating flow effects on drug cytotoxicity.

Conclusions:

• The developed PMMA microfluidic device provides a viable, low-cost platform for advanced in vitro testing.
• Dynamic culture in microfluidic devices enhances the simulation of physiological conditions for drug screening.
• This approach is expected to improve the selection of drug candidates for in vivo studies, reducing costs and failure rates.