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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
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Microfluidic Chip for Axonal Injury Models Construction and Enabling Multi-Omics Analysis
Published on: October 14, 2025
A 3D Human Neuron-on-Chip Platform to Monitor Neuronal Injury Responses
Ruiping Tang1,2, Charles-Francois Latchoumane1,2, Avi Chopra1
1Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
Advanced Healthcare Materials
|July 30, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a novel Neuron-on-Chip device to study traumatic brain injury (TBI) in human neurons. The platform revealed a biphasic response to injury, including excitotoxicity, network collapse, and delayed neurodegeneration markers like Tau pathology.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biotechnology
- Cellular Biology
Background:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant cause of neurological damage and neurodegeneration.
- The specific roles of intrinsic neuronal responses in TBI pathophysiology are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel microfluidic Neuron-on-Chip device for studying mechanical injury in human neurons.
- To investigate the real-time cellular and molecular responses of human prefrontal cortex neurons (hPFCs) to TBI.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a Neuron-on-Chip microfluidic device with a weight-drop impactor to mechanically injure 3D hydrogel-embedded hPFCs.
- Assessed real-time calcium dynamics, secretome profiling, cytokine analysis, and immunocytochemistry/immunoblotting.
Main Results:
- Observed a biphasic injury response: early excitotoxicity and network collapse (0.5-24h), followed by late depolarization and remodeling (8d).
- Detected progressive increases in pT181 and total Tau post-injury (days 1-5).
- Identified stage-specific inflammatory signaling with early and late cytokine elevations, and temporally ordered upregulation of calpain-1, caspase-3, phosphorylated Tau, and neurofibrillary tangle-like aggregates.
Conclusions:
- The Neuron-on-Chip platform provides a scalable microphysiological model for TBI research.
- The study offers insights into the dynamic neuronal response to injury and potential therapeutic targets for neurodegeneration.
