Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan 430071, China.
Lab Chip. 2020 May 7;20(9):1531-1543. doi: 10.1039/c9lc01010f. Epub 2020 Mar 9.
One major challenge in current brain research is generating an integrative understanding of the brain's functions and disorders from its multiscale neuronal architectures and connectivity. Thus, innovative neurotechnology tools are urgently required for deciphering the multiscale functional and structural organizations of the brain at hierarchical scales from the molecular to the organismal level by multiple brain research initiatives launched by the European Union, United States, Australia, Canada, China, Korea, and Japan. To meet this demand, microfluidic chips (μFCs) have rapidly evolved as a trans-scale neurotechnological toolset to enable multiscale studies of the brain due to their unique advantages in flexible microstructure design, multifunctional integration, accurate microenvironment control, and capacity for automatic sample processing. Here, we review the recent progress in applying innovative μFC-based neuro-technologies to promote multiscale brain research and uniquely focus on representative applications of μFCs to address challenges in brain research at each hierarchical level. We discuss the current trend of combinational applications of μFCs with other neuro- and biotechnologies, including optogenetics, brain organoids, and 3D bioprinting, for better multiscale brain research. In addition, we offer our insights into the existing outstanding questions at each hierarchical level of brain research that could potentially be addressed by advancing microfluidic techniques. This review will serve as a timely guide for bioengineers and neuroscientists to develop and apply μFC-based neuro-technologies for promoting basic and translational brain research.
当前脑科学研究的一个主要挑战是从多尺度神经元结构和连接中生成对大脑功能和障碍的综合理解。因此，通过欧盟、美国、澳大利亚、加拿大、中国、韩国和日本发起的多个脑研究计划，迫切需要创新的神经技术工具来破译大脑在从分子到机体水平的分层尺度上的多尺度功能和结构组织。为了满足这一需求，由于在灵活的微结构设计、多功能集成、精确的微环境控制和自动样品处理能力方面具有独特的优势，微流控芯片 (μFC) 已迅速发展成为一种跨尺度神经技术工具套件，可实现大脑的多尺度研究。在这里，我们回顾了应用创新的基于 μFC 的神经技术促进多尺度脑研究的最新进展，并特别关注 μFC 在解决每个层次的脑研究挑战方面的代表性应用。我们讨论了 μFC 与其他神经和生物技术（包括光遗传学、脑类器官和 3D 生物打印）的组合应用的当前趋势，以更好地进行多尺度脑研究。此外，我们对脑研究的每个层次上存在的突出问题提出了见解，这些问题可能通过推进微流控技术得到解决。这篇综述将为生物工程师和神经科学家提供及时的指导，以开发和应用基于 μFC 的神经技术，促进基础和转化性脑研究。
