Tissue culture on a chip: Developmental biology applications of self-organized capillary networks in microfluidic devices.
Organ culture systems are used to elucidate the mechanisms of pattern formation in developmental biology. Various organ culture techniques have been used, but the lack of microcirculation in such cultures impedes the long-term maintenance of larger tissues. Recent advances in microfluidic devices now enable us to utilize self-organized perfusable capillary networks in organ cultures. In this review, we will overview past approaches to organ culture and current technical advances in microfluidic devices, and discuss possible applications of microfluidics towards the study of developmental biology.
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-0054, Japan.
Takashi
T
Miura
Department of Micro Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 615-8540, Japan.
Ryuji
R
Yokokawa
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D056656:Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
microcirculation; microdevice; self-organization; tissue culture