title: Integration of a pump and an electrical sensor into a membrane-based PDMS microbioreactor for cell culture and drug testing.
abstract: To the extent possible, artificial organs should have characteristics that match those of the in vivo system. To this end, microfabrication techniques allow us to create microenvironments that can help maintain cell organization and functionality in in vitro cultures. We present three new microbioreactors, each of which allows cells to be cultured in a perfused microenvironment similar to that found in vivo. Our microbioreactors use new technology that permits integration onto the chip (35 mm × 20 mm) of an electrical sensor, in addition to one or more pumping systems and associated perfusion circuitry. The monitoring of Caco-2 cell cultures using electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has allowed us to measure the effects of cell growth, cellular barrier formation and the presence of chemical compounds and/or toxins. Specifically, we have investigated the ability of the electrical sensor to maintain appropriate sensitivity and precision. Our results show that the sensor was very sensitive not only to the presence or the absence of the cells, but also to changes in cell state. Our perfused microbioreactors are highly efficient miniaturized tools that are easy to operate. We anticipate that they will offer promising new opportunities in many types of cell culture research, including drug screening and tissue engineering.
authors: Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan. ostrovidov@wpi-aimr.tohoku.ac.jp
authors: Serge
authors: S
authors: Ostrovidov
authors: Yasuyuki
authors: Y
authors: Sakai
authors: Teruo
authors: T
authors: Fujii
mesh_terms: D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D058266:Dielectric Spectroscopy; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007260:Infusion Pumps; D056656:Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; D055617:Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D019319:Okadaic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D010477:Perfusion; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D014118:Toxins, Biological; D019319:Okadaic Acid; C013830:baysilon