Department of Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Lab Chip. 2016 May 21;16(10):1886-98. doi: 10.1039/c6lc00184j. Epub 2016 Apr 21.
The integration of three-dimensional micropatterning with microfluidics provides a unique opportunity to create perfusable tissue constructs in vitro. Herein, we have used this approach to create a tumor-on-a-chip with an endothelial barrier. Specifically, we photopatterned a mixture of endothelial cells and cancer spheroids within a gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel inside a microfluidic device. The differential motility of endothelial and cancer cells in response to a controlled morphogen gradient across the cell-laden network drove the migration of endothelial cells to the periphery while maintaining the cancer cells within the interior of the hydrogel. The resultant endothelial cell layer forming cell-cell contact via VE-cadherin junctions was found to encompass the entire GelMA hydrogel structure. Furthermore, we have also examined the potential of such a tumor-on-a-chip system as a drug screening platform using doxorubicin, a model cancer drug.
三维微图案与微流控的结合为体外构建可灌注组织提供了独特的机会。在这里，我们使用这种方法创建了具有内皮屏障的肿瘤芯片。具体来说，我们在微流控装置内的明胶甲基丙烯酸酯 (GelMA) 水凝胶中光图案化了内皮细胞和癌细胞球体的混合物。内皮细胞和癌细胞对细胞负载网络中受控形态发生梯度的不同迁移能力驱动内皮细胞迁移到边缘，同时将癌细胞保留在水凝胶内部。通过 VE-cadherin 连接形成细胞-细胞接触的内皮细胞层被发现包含整个 GelMA 水凝胶结构。此外，我们还研究了这种肿瘤芯片系统作为药物筛选平台的潜力，使用多柔比星作为模型抗癌药物。
