Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Trends Cell Biol. 2011 Dec;21(12):745-54. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2011.09.005. Epub 2011 Oct 25.
3D cell-culture models have recently garnered great attention because they often promote levels of cell differentiation and tissue organization not possible in conventional 2D culture systems. We review new advances in 3D culture that leverage microfabrication technologies from the microchip industry and microfluidics approaches to create cell-culture microenvironments that both support tissue differentiation and recapitulate the tissue-tissue interfaces, spatiotemporal chemical gradients, and mechanical microenvironments of living organs. These 'organs-on-chips' permit the study of human physiology in an organ-specific context, enable development of novel in vitro disease models, and could potentially serve as replacements for animals used in drug development and toxin testing.
3D 细胞培养模型最近受到了广泛关注，因为它们通常可以促进细胞分化和组织构建的水平，而这在传统的 2D 培养系统中是不可能实现的。我们综述了 3D 培养方面的新进展，这些进展利用了微芯片行业的微制造技术和微流控方法来创建细胞培养微环境，既支持组织分化，又能再现组织-组织界面、时空化学梯度以及活体器官的力学微环境。这些“类器官芯片”可以在特定器官的背景下研究人体生理学，为开发新型体外疾病模型提供可能，并有可能替代用于药物开发和毒素测试的动物。
