Zhang Hongyong, Rong Guoguang, Bian Sumin, Sawan Mohamad
CenBRAIN Lab, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2022 Feb 16;10:841389. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.841389. eCollection 2022.
Increasing population is suffering from neurological disorders nowadays, with no effective therapy available to treat them. Explicit knowledge of network of neurons (NoN) in the human brain is key to understanding the pathology of neurological diseases. Research in NoN developed slower than expected due to the complexity of the human brain and the ethical considerations for studies. However, advances in nanomaterials and micro-/nano-microfabrication have opened up the chances for a deeper understanding of NoN , one step closer to studies. This review therefore summarizes the latest advances in lab-on-chip microsystems for NoN studies by focusing on the advanced materials, techniques, and models for NoN studies. The essential methods for constructing lab-on-chip models are microfluidics and microelectrode arrays. Through combination with functional biomaterials and biocompatible materials, the microfluidics and microelectrode arrays enable the development of various models for NoN studies. This review also includes the state-of-the-art brain slide and organoid-on-chip models. The end of this review discusses the previous issues and future perspectives for NoN studies.
如今，越来越多的人患有神经系统疾病，但尚无有效的治疗方法。明确了解人类大脑中的神经元网络（NoN）是理解神经疾病病理学的关键。由于人类大脑的复杂性和研究的伦理考量，NoN的研究进展比预期的要慢。然而，纳米材料和微纳加工技术的进步为更深入地了解NoN带来了机会，离实际研究又近了一步。因此，本综述通过关注用于NoN研究的先进材料、技术和模型，总结了用于NoN研究的芯片实验室微系统的最新进展。构建芯片实验室模型的基本方法是微流控和微电极阵列。通过与功能生物材料和生物相容性材料相结合，微流控和微电极阵列能够开发出各种用于NoN研究的模型。本综述还包括了最先进的脑切片和芯片上类器官模型。综述结尾讨论了NoN研究的先前问题和未来展望。
