Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Lab Chip. 2022 Sep 27;22(19):3618-3636. doi: 10.1039/d2lc00352j.
Neovascularization, the formation of new blood vessels, has received much research attention due to its implications for physiological processes and diseases. Most studies using traditional and platforms find challenges in recapitulating key cellular and mechanical cues of the neovascularization processes. Microfluidic models have been presented as an alternative to these limitations due to their capacity to leverage microscale physics to control cell organization and integrate biochemical and mechanical cues, such as shear stress, cell-cell interactions, or nutrient gradients, making them an ideal option for recapitulating organ physiology. Much has been written about the use of microfluidics in vascular biology models from an engineering perspective. However, a review introducing the different models, components and progress for new potential adopters of these technologies was absent in the literature. Therefore, this paper aims to approach the use of microfluidic technologies in vascular biology from a perspective of biological hallmarks to be studied and written for a wide audience ranging from clinicians to engineers. Here we review applications of microfluidics in vascular biology research, starting with design considerations and fabrication techniques. After that, we review the state of the art in recapitulating angiogenesis and vasculogenesis, according to the hallmarks recapitulated and complexity of the models. Finally, we discuss emerging research areas in neovascularization, such as drug discovery, and potential future directions.
血管新生，即新血管的形成，因其对生理过程和疾病的影响而受到广泛关注。大多数使用传统和平台的研究在重现血管新生过程中的关键细胞和力学线索方面都面临挑战。由于微流控模型能够利用微尺度物理来控制细胞组织，并整合生化和力学线索，如切应力、细胞-细胞相互作用或营养梯度，因此它们成为重现器官生理学的理想选择，因此已经被提出作为这些限制的替代方案。从工程学的角度来看，已经有很多关于微流控在血管生物学模型中应用的文章。然而，在文献中，对于这些技术的新潜在采用者，缺少关于不同模型、组件和进展的介绍性综述。因此，本文旨在从生物学特征的角度来探讨微流控技术在血管生物学中的应用，并为从临床医生到工程师的广大读者撰写。在这里，我们回顾了微流控技术在血管生物学研究中的应用，首先介绍了设计考虑因素和制造技术。之后，根据所重现的特征和模型的复杂性，我们综述了再现将血管生成和血管发生的最新进展。最后，我们讨论了血管新生领域的新兴研究领域，如药物发现，以及潜在的未来方向。
