Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Hongik University, Seoul 04066, Republic of Korea.
Center for BioMicrosystems, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea.
Biotechnol Prog. 2019 Jan;35(1):e2701. doi: 10.1002/btpr.2701. Epub 2018 Oct 9.
Perfusion flow is one of the essential elements and advantages of organ-on-a-chip technology. For example, microfluidics have enabled implementation of perfusion flow and recapitulation of fluidic environment for vascular endothelial cells. The most prevalent method of implementing flow in a chip is to use a pump, which requires elaborate manipulation and complex connections, and accompanies a large amount of dead volume. Previously we devised a gravity-induced flow system which does not require tubing connections, but this method results in bidirectional flow to enable recirculation, which is somewhat different from physiological blood flow. Here, we have developed a novel microfluidic chip that enables gravity-induced, unidirectional flow by using a bypass channel with geometry different from the main channel. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were cultured inside the chip and the effect of flow direction was examined. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 35: e2701, 2019.
灌注流是器官芯片技术的基本要素和优势之一。例如，微流控技术实现了灌注流，并再现了血管内皮细胞的流体环境。在芯片中实现流动的最常见方法是使用泵，这需要精心的操作和复杂的连接，并伴随着大量的死体积。以前，我们设计了一种不需要管连接的重力诱导流系统，但这种方法导致双向流以实现再循环，这与生理血流有些不同。在这里，我们开发了一种新颖的微流控芯片，通过使用与主流道几何形状不同的旁路通道来实现重力诱导的单向流。将人脐静脉内皮细胞培养在芯片内，并检查了流动方向的影响。©2018 美国化学工程师协会生物技术进展，35:e2701，2019。
