Transforming Static Barrier Tissue Models into Dynamic Microphysiological Systems.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology and Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Microphysiological systems (MPS) offer advanced tissue mimicry but face adoption barriers due to incompatibility with standard bioscience lab protocols.
• Existing open-well, membrane-based systems lack fluid flow, a crucial factor for mimicking physiological conditions.
• A need exists for adaptable platforms that integrate the benefits of both open-well and microfluidic approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel reconfigurable membrane-based platform compatible with conventional laboratory protocols.
• To enable seamless switching between open-well and microfluidic modes, enhancing experimental flexibility.
• To overcome the limitations of current MPS and promote their wider adoption in bioscience research.

Main Methods:

• A magnetic assembly approach was employed to create a reconfigurable platform.
• The system allows reversible switching between open-well and microfluidic configurations.
• Demonstrated compatibility with standard techniques like immunostaining and RNA extraction.

Main Results:

• Successfully created a reconfigurable membrane platform with both open-well structure and flow enhancement capabilities.
• Validated the system's compatibility with standard open-well protocols and techniques.
• Showcased the ability to transition between open-well and microfluidic modes within an experiment.

Conclusions:

• The reconfigurable platform addresses the limitations of current microphysiological systems by integrating flexibility and compatibility.
• This design is expected to increase the adoption of advanced tissue mimicry platforms in both engineering and bioscience laboratories.
• The system facilitates the use of established protocols while enabling the incorporation of fluid flow for more physiologically relevant studies.