Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Renata Maia, Violeta Carvalho, Rui Lima, Graca Minas, Raquel O. Rodrigues
Summary: This systematic review summarizes the recent progress in the use of microneedles (MNs) in biomedical applications, including drug delivery, biomarker detection, and their potential integration with microfluidic devices. Although MNs have been extensively utilized in lab-on-a-chip platforms, recent studies have also explored their applicability in organ-on-a-chip models. Overall, the presence of MNs in advanced microfluidic devices offers simplified drug delivery, microinjection, and biomarker detection through integrated biosensors, enabling real-time monitoring of various biomarkers in lab- and organ-on-a-chip platforms.
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Hazal Kutluk, Effie E. Bastounis, Iordania Constantinou
Summary: This review discusses the current design and assessment of extracellular matrix (ECM) in vitro environments, with a focus on their integration into Organ-on-Chip (OoC) platforms. The capabilities and accessibility of synthetic and natural hydrogels, as well as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), in mimicking the ECM are reviewed. The complex interplay among materials, OoC architecture, and ECM characterization poses challenges in the design of ECM-related studies, comparability between works, and reproducibility across research laboratories. Improving the biomimetic nature of OoCs through properly designed ECMs would enhance their adoption as animal model replacements and promote their use in mechanobiology.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jingyu Fu, Hailong Qiu, Cherie S. Tan
Summary: Drug discovery is a costly and complex process, and efficient methods are needed to screen potential compounds and remove toxic substances. The liver plays a crucial role in determining drug efficacy and potential side effects. The liver-on-a-chip platform based on microfluidic technology has gained attention for its ability to predict drug metabolism and hepatotoxicity, as well as study pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics when combined with other organ-on-chip systems.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Taha Messelmani, Anne Le Goff, Zied Souguir, Victoria Maes, Meryl Roudaut, Elodie Vandenhaute, Nathalie Maubon, Cecile Legallais, Eric Leclerc, Rachid Jellali
Summary: This study investigates the development of hepatic cells in a 3D hydroscaffold inside a microfluidic device, aiming to achieve relevant in vivo-like functionalities of liver tissue. The results demonstrate the formation of 3D aggregates and spheroids with high cell viability and functionality. This liver-on-chip model coupled with a hydroscaffold has the potential to serve as a relevant liver model for drug screening and disease study.
BIOENGINEERING-BASEL
(2022)
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Daniel Vera, Maria Garcia-Diaz, Nuria Torras, Mar Alvarez, Rosa Villa, Elena Martinez
Summary: Researchers have integrated hydrogels into microfluidic setups to develop tissue barrier-on-chips that accurately account for different cellular and acellular compartments, including the cellular components and functionality of in vivo tissues. These platforms have the potential to greatly improve the predictive capacities of in vitro systems in applications such as drug development or disease modeling, but face challenges in microfabrication.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Dimple Palanilkunnathil Thomas, Jun Zhang, Nam-Trung Nguyen, Hang Thu Ta
Summary: This review covers the physiology of the human gut and the engineering approaches of gut-on-a-chip (GOC) models, including materials and fabrication, cell types, stimuli, and gut microbiota. The applications, challenges, possible solutions, and prospects for GOC models and technology are thoroughly discussed.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Erica Rosella, Nan Jia, Diego Mantovani, Jesse Greener
Summary: This study presents a microfluidic platform for synthesizing biomembranes and investigating their role as extracellular matrix supports. Different flow conditions during gelation process affect key properties of biomembranes such as width, uniformity, and swelling ratio depending on the biopolymer material used. Cell viability studies on seeded fibroblasts demonstrate the potential for biological applications.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Quoc Vo, Kaely A. Carlson, Peter M. Chiknas, Chad N. Brocker, Luis DaSilva, Erica Clark, Sang Ki Park, A. Seun Ajiboye, Eric M. Wier, Kambez H. Benam
Summary: This work presents a process for constructing user-controlled vascular microlumens on-chip for endothelization and co-culture with stromal cells. The study highlights the impact of microchannel cross-sectional geometry and length on vascular wall shear stress, crucial for mimicking blood flow biomechanics. The work also provides an optimization protocol for multicellular culture and functional validation of the system, demonstrating its potential for studying organ-specific biology and disease development.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Amin Mansoorifar, Ryan Gordon, Raymond C. Bergan, Luiz E. Bertassoni
Summary: Bone is a dynamic organ capable of adapting to changes in the body and repairing damaged tissue, but diseases like osteoporosis and metastatic cancers can compromise its function. Microfluidic technologies and organ-on-a-chip models provide more realistic tissue culture conditions, allowing for a better understanding of bone biology, diseases, and treatments. These advanced models offer potential for improved research in bone-related fields.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Jaeseung Youn, Hyeonjun Hong, Woojung Shin, Dohui Kim, Hyun Jung Kim, Dong Sung Kim
Summary: This study proposes a thin, robust, and transparent ECM membrane reinforced with SF/PCL nanofibers, which exhibits biophysical characteristics reminiscent of native BMs. It can stably support the construction of various types of in vitro barrier models and emulate organ-like cyclic stretching motions, manipulating cell and tissue-level functions.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Lihua Ding, Xia Liu, Zhenzhong Zhang, Li-e Liu, Sitian He, Yan Wu, Clement Yaw Effah, Ruiying Yang, Aiai Zhang, Wensi Chen, Mubarak Yarmamat, Lingbo Qu, Xiaonan Yang, Yongjun Wu
Summary: In this study, a microfluidic chip was designed to isolate exosomes from plasma, improving their capture efficiency and purity. The chip was also used for plasma-based cancer diagnosis by monitoring exosomal biomarkers.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jinfeng Yan, Tong Wu, Jinjin Zhang, Yueyue Gao, Jia-Min Wu, Shixuan Wang
Summary: A comprehensive understanding of the female reproductive system is crucial for protecting fertility and preventing women's health issues. Microfluidic chips have revolutionized the knowledge and management of female reproductive health, ultimately promoting the development of assisted reproductive technologies, treatments, and drug screening approaches.
JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Muhammad Sulaiman Yousafzai, John A. Hammer
Summary: The increasing popularity of 3D cell culture models is driven by the demand for more realistic conditions to study biological processes. Spheroids and organoids have great potential for tissue development and regeneration studies. Organ-on-a-chip approaches provide control over biochemical and biomechanical signals for tissue growth and differentiation. These 3D models can be used as disease models and for drug screens. However, challenges exist in recapitulating the cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions seen in vivo.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Perizat Kanabekova, Adina Kadyrova, Gulsim Kulsharova
Summary: Mortality from liver disease is high and prompt measures are crucial. Microfluidic organs-on-chip platforms offer potential for studying the pathophysiology of liver diseases in vitro and evaluating drug efficacy. This review provides a comprehensive overview of liver disease modeling using microphysiological platforms, including cell signaling pathways, cell culture techniques, disease types, and design challenges with existing solutions.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ghazal Shabestani Monfared, Peter Ertl, Mario Rothbauer
Summary: Cutaneous wound healing is a complex process involving cell communication events and cell migration to achieve wound closure. Microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip technologies have improved in vitro wound healing assays to create more reliable models resembling the in vivo wound microenvironment.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Robert E. Rogers, Andrew Haskell, Berkley P. White, Sujata Dalal, Megan Lopez, Daniel Tahan, Simin Pan, Gagandeep Kaur, Hyemee Kim, Heather Barreda, Susan L. Woodard, Oscar R. Benavides, Jing Dai, Qingguo Zhao, Kristen C. Maitland, Arum Han, Zivko L. Nikolov, Fei Liu, Ryang Hwa Lee, Carl A. Gregory, Roland Kaunas
Summary: The study introduces a platform for scalable expansion and rapid harvest of ihMSCs using GelMA microcarriers, demonstrating robust immunomodulatory activity. This method offers advantages of reproducibility and low cost, making it a significant contribution to the translational potential of ihMSCs.
STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Han Wang, Gloria M. Conover, Song- Han, James C. Sacchettini, Arum Han
Summary: A microfluidic mycobacterial culture device was developed for single-cell resolution analysis, successfully monitoring real-time growth dynamics of mycobacteria, revealing morphological changes during drug treatment and a subpopulation of cells capable of surviving frontline antibiotics and recovering replicative growth.
MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Song- Han, Deborah A. Sarkes, Justin P. Jahnke, Margaret M. Hurley, Victor M. Ugaz, Rebecca L. Renberg, James J. Sumner, Dimitra N. Stratis-Cullum, Arum Han
Summary: This study presents a centrifugal force-based microfluidic biopanning platform for screening peptides with specific affinity towards target materials, allowing for precise control of wash steps by adjusting rotation speed. Through iterative sorting, strong affinity isolates towards gold, ITO or both are successfully obtained. Amino acid analysis provides insights into the distinctive attributes of these peptides and their material-binding capabilities. The platform is user-friendly and versatile, enabling rapid discovery of peptide-driven biomaterials and hybrid organic-inorganic materials.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2021)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Biomedical
Alessandro Grattoni, Arum Han
BIOMEDICAL MICRODEVICES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sungjin Kim, Lauren Richardson, Enkhtuya Radnaa, Zunwei Chen, Ivan Rusyn, Ramkumar Menon, Arum Han
Summary: The study found that maternal exposure to cadmium can result in significant cell death and a pro-inflammatory environment in the maternal decidua, but minimal effect on the fetal chorion cells and no effect on the fetal amnion cells. This indicates that the adverse effects of cadmium originate from maternal pathophysiology rather than fetal triggers of preterm labor.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Esha Ganguly, Ananth Kumar Kammala, Meagan Benson, Lauren S. Richardson, Arum Han, Ramkumar Menon
Summary: The study suggests that transporter proteins in fetal membranes play a crucial role in drug transport at the feto-maternal interface, contributing to improving drug delivery testing during pregnancy and designing drug delivery strategies to treat adverse pregnancy outcomes.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Yuwen Li, Can Huang, Song- Han, Arum Han
Summary: This paper presents a method for measuring the dielectric properties of cells, especially lipid-producing microalgae, at high frequency and single-cell resolution. By integrating electrorotation and negative dielectrophoresis methods, the dielectric properties of cells, including membrane capacitance and cytoplasm conductivity, can be obtained. This method can be used in various applications, such as screening microalgae, separating cells with different dielectric properties, identifying different cell types, and conducting basic biophysical analyses.
BIOMEDICAL MICRODEVICES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Han Zhang, Can Huang, Yuwen Li, Rohit Gupte, Ryan Samuel, Jing Dai, Adrian Guzman, Rushant Sabnis, Paul de Figueiredo, Arum Han
Summary: FIDELITY is a highly sensitive and accurate size-based droplet band-pass filter that leverages the natural buoyancy of droplets and localized dielectrophoretic force. It achieves high precision droplet manipulation with high throughput and small diameter differences, demonstrating its importance in practical applications.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ourlad Alzeus G. Tantengco, Lauren S. Richardson, Enkhtuya Radnaa, Ananth Kumar Kammala, Sungjin Kim, Paul Mark B. Medina, Arum Han, Ramkumar Menon
Summary: This study developed an organ-on-a-chip that mimics the female reproductive tract during pregnancy and used both cell culture and animal models to investigate the mechanism by which genital mycoplasmas cause preterm birth. The findings indicate that genital mycoplasmas can colonize and induce inflammation in epithelial and stromal cells of the lower genital tract. The combination of mycoplasma infection and LPS results in increased inflammation. In an animal model, intra-amniotic injection of mycoplasma leads to preterm birth. Vaginal inoculation of mycoplasma has minimal effects on preterm birth.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Can Huang, Song- Han, Han Zhang, Arum Han
Summary: Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems provide cost-effective and time-efficient biological assays at a small volume scale. Dielectrophoretic (DEP)-based manipulation technologies, due to their label-free and high selectivity natures, have been extensively developed for accurate and specific cell and reagent control. This article provides a tutorial on developing DEP-based microfluidic systems, including theory, simulation, microfabrication, and applications. Possible future directions on utilizing DEP-based technologies to overcome challenges and improve microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems are suggested.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Lauren Richardson, Enkhtuya Radnaa, Ryan C. V. Lintao, Rheanna Urrabaz-Garza, Ruhi Maredia, Arum Han, Jiaren Sun, Ramkumar Menon
Summary: During pregnancy, the chorion and decidua form the feto-maternal interface, where immune cells remain quiescent to avoid invasion of the chorion. Infection and infiltration of activated immune cells towards the chorion can lead to preterm birth, but the mechanisms maintaining immune balance in the choriodecidual interface are not well understood. To study this, researchers created a two-chamber microphysiological system (MPS) to model the human choriodecidual immune interface under normal and infectious conditions. The results highlight the utility of the MPS in understanding immune cell infiltration and maternal-fetal crosstalk during infection.
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Lauren S. Richardson, Ananth K. Kammala, Maged M. Costantine, Stephen J. Fortunato, Enkhtuya Radnaa, Sungjin Kim, Robert N. Taylor, Arum Han, Ramkumar Menon
Summary: Two microfluidic organ-on-chip (OOC) devices were developed to simulate the feto-maternal interfaces (FMis) in humans and improve preclinical drug testing during pregnancy. The OOCs successfully recreated the structure, functions, and responses of the placenta and fetal membranes-decidual interface. They were able to transport and metabolize drugs without causing cytotoxicity, and effectively reduced inflammation induced by oxidative stress.
Meeting Abstract
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Sungjin Kim, Lauren Richardson, Enkhtuya Radnaa, Zunwei Chen, Ivan Rusyn, Ramkumar Menon, Arum Han
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Enkhtuya Radnaa, Lauren S. Richardson, Samantha Sheller-Miller, Tuvshintugs Baljinnyam, Mariana de Castro Silva, Ananth Kumar Kammala, Rheanna Urrabaz-Garza, Talar Kechichian, Sungjin Kim, Arum Han, Ramkumar Menon
Summary: Preterm birth affects approximately 11% of pregnancies worldwide and is a leading cause of neonatal deaths. Understanding fetal signals that trigger labor and inflammation in the feto-maternal interface is important for preventing preterm birth. Fetal exosome-mediated paracrine signaling can induce inflammation and parturition, as demonstrated by in vivo experiments using a microfluidic organ-on-a-chip device.
Meeting Abstract
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Ourlad Alzeus G. Tantengco, Lauren Richardson, Paul Mark Medina, Arum Han, Ramkumar Menon
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2021)
