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On-Chip Reconstitution of Uniformly Shear-Sensing 3D Matrix-embedded Multicellular Blood Microvessel.
Quoc Vo1, Kaely A Carlson2, Peter M Chiknas1
1Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Advanced Functional Materials
|March 11, 2024
Summary
Researchers developed a reproducible on-chip microvasculature model using human lung cells and extracellular matrix (ECM). This platform enables studying lung biology, biomechanics, and disease pathogenesis in vitro.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Microfluidics
- Organ-on-a-chip Technology
Background:
- Preclinical modeling of organ-specific vasculature is crucial for understanding complex biological interactions.
- Existing models often lack the ability to replicate native tissue microenvironments and biomechanics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a reproducible method for creating extracellular matrix (ECM)-embedded vascular microlumens on-chip.
- To enable co-culture of human pulmonary endothelial cells and stromal cells for studying lung biology.
- To investigate the impact of microchannel geometry on vascular wall shear stress and matrix rheology.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of user-controlled, ECM-embedded vascular microlumens on-chip.
- Endothelialization and co-culture with primary human lung stromal cells (fibroblasts).
- Analysis of microchannel geometry effects on shear stress and matrix stiffness tuning.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a reliable process for constructing vascular microlumens with tunable ECM properties.
- Showcased the influence of microchannel dimensions on shear stress distribution, mimicking in vivo conditions.
- Validated multicellular culture and functional capacity of the developed lung-on-a-chip model.
Conclusions:
- The developed platform provides a human-relevant in vitro model for studying lung parenchymal biology, vascular biomechanics, and disease.
- The adaptable design allows for investigation of other organs and incorporation of diverse cell types.
- This technology facilitates research into physiological responses and disease biogenesis.
