title: A review of microfabrication and hydrogel engineering for micro-organs on chips.
abstract: This review highlights recent trends towards the development of in vitro multicellular systems with definite architectures, or "organs on chips". First, the chemical composition and mechanical properties of the scaffold have to be consistent with the anatomical environment in vivo. In this perspective, the flourishing interest in hydrogels as cellular substrates has highlighted the main parameters directing cell differentiation that need to be recapitulated in artificial matrix. Another scaffold requirement is to act as a template to guide tissue morphogenesis. Therefore specific microfabrication techniques are required to spatially pattern the environment at microscale. 2D patterning is particularly efficient for organizing planar polarized cell types such as endothelial cells or neurons. However, most organs are characterized by specific sub units organized in three dimensions at the cellular level. The reproduction of such 3D patterns in vitro is necessary for cells to fully differentiate, assemble and coordinate to form a coherent micro-tissue. These physiological microstructures are often integrated in microfluidic devices whose controlled environments provide the cell culture with more life-like conditions than traditional cell culture methods. Such systems have a wide range of applications, for fundamental research, as tools to accelerate drug development and testing, and finally, for regenerative medicine.
authors: Macromolécules et Microsystèmes en Biologie et en Médecine, Institut Curie, UMR 168, Paris 75005, France.
authors: Marine
authors: M
authors: Verhulsel
authors: Macromolécules et Microsystèmes en Biologie et en Médecine, Institut Curie, UMR 168, Paris 75005, France.
authors: Maéva
authors: M
authors: Vignes
authors: Macromolécules et Microsystèmes en Biologie et en Médecine, Institut Curie, UMR 168, Paris 75005, France.
authors: Stéphanie
authors: S
authors: Descroix
authors: Macromolécules et Microsystèmes en Biologie et en Médecine, Institut Curie, UMR 168, Paris 75005, France.
authors: Laurent
authors: L
authors: Malaquin
authors: Migration et Invasion Cellulaire, Institut Curie, UMR 144, Paris 75005, France.
authors: Danijela M
authors: DM
authors: Vignjevic
authors: Macromolécules et Microsystèmes en Biologie et en Médecine, Institut Curie, UMR 168, Paris 75005, France. Electronic address: jean-louis.viovy@curie.fr.
authors: Jean-Louis
authors: JL
authors: Viovy
mesh_terms: D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D055616:Microtechnology; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate
keywords: 3D scaffold; Artificial extracellular matrix; Hydrogel; Micro-environment; Physiology; Tissue engineering