Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2011 Oct;22(5):681-9. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2011.05.512. Epub 2011 Jun 30.
Microfluidic systems have emerged as revolutionary new platform technologies for a range of applications, from consumer products such as inkjet printer cartridges to lab-on-a-chip diagnostic systems. Recent developments have opened the door to a new set of opportunities for microfluidic systems, in the field of tissue and organ engineering. Advances in the design of physiologically relevant structures and networks, fabrication processes for biomaterials suitable for in vivo use, and techniques for scaling towards large, three-dimensional constructs, are converging towards therapeutic applications of microfluidic technologies in engineering complex tissues and organs. These advances herald a new generation of microfluidics-based approaches designed for specific tissue and organ applications, incorporating microvascular networks, structures for transport and filtration, and a three-dimensional microenvironment suitable for supporting phenotypic cell behavior, tissue function, and implantation and host integration.
微流控系统已成为各种应用的革命性新技术平台，从喷墨打印机墨盒等消费产品到芯片实验室诊断系统。最近的发展为微流控系统在组织和器官工程领域开辟了一系列新的机会。在生理相关结构和网络的设计、适合体内使用的生物材料制造工艺以及向大型三维构建体扩展的技术方面的进展，正在汇聚为微流控技术在工程复杂组织和器官中的治疗应用。这些进展预示着新一代针对特定组织和器官应用的基于微流控的方法的出现，这些方法包括微血管网络、运输和过滤结构以及适合支持表型细胞行为、组织功能以及植入和宿主整合的三维微环境。
