Issue 15, 2019

Microfluidic technologies for vasculature biomimicry

Abstract

Microfluidic technology has been extensively employed in biology and medicine since the field emerged in the 1990s. By utilizing microfluidic approaches, a variety of vascular system-related structures and functions have been mimicked on in vitro platforms. Herein, we begin by introducing microfluidic circulatory devices for the study of two-dimensional (2D) endothelial cells culture. Next, we focus on recent progress on on-chip mimicry of native vasculature, specifically generation of complex three-dimensional (3D) structures within cell-laden hydrogels using microfluidics and self-assembly-based methods. The utilization of microfluidic technology will facilitate the construction of progressively biomimetic in vitro models that have great potential in complementing existing animal models. We envision such platforms to be utilized in a wide range of applications involving vascular systems, including microphysiological studies, drug screening, and disease modeling.

Graphical abstract: Microfluidic technologies for vasculature biomimicry

Article information

Article type
Minireview
Submitted
05 ⵎⴰⵕ 2019
Accepted
28 ⵎⴰⵢ 2019
First published
31 ⵎⴰⵢ 2019

Analyst, 2019,144, 4461-4471

Microfluidic technologies for vasculature biomimicry

C. Hu, Y. Chen, M. J. A. Tan, K. Ren and H. Wu, Analyst, 2019, 144, 4461 DOI: 10.1039/C9AN00421A

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