A practical guide to microfluidic perfusion culture of adherent mammalian cells

Citations Over TimeTop 1% of 2007 papers

Abstract

Culturing cells at microscales allows control over microenvironmental cues, such as cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions; the potential to scale experiments; the use of small culture volumes; and the ability to integrate with microsystem technologies for on-chip experimentation. Microfluidic perfusion culture in particular allows controlled delivery and removal of soluble biochemical molecules in the extracellular microenvironment, and controlled application of mechanical forces exerted via fluid flow. There are many challenges to designing and operating a robust microfluidic perfusion culture system for routine culture of adherent mammalian cells. The current literature on microfluidic perfusion culture treats microfluidic design, device fabrication, cell culture, and micro-assays independently. Here we systematically present and discuss important design considerations in the context of the entire microfluidic perfusion culture system. These design considerations include the choice of materials, culture configurations, microfluidic network fabrication and micro-assays. We also present technical issues such as sterilization; seeding cells in both 2D and 3D configurations; and operating the system under optimized mass transport and shear stress conditions, free of air-bubbles. The integrative and systematic treatment of the microfluidic system design and fabrication, cell culture, and micro-assays provides novices with an effective starting point to build and operate a robust microfludic perfusion culture system for various applications.

Related Papers

• → Fabrication of a 3D microfluidic cell culture device for bone marrow-on-a-chip(2020)31 cited
• → Mechanical Strain-Enabled Reconstitution of Dynamic Environment in Organ-on-a-Chip Platforms: A Review(2021)26 cited
• → How Microgels Can Improve the Impact of Organ-on-Chip and Microfluidic Devices for 3D Culture: Compartmentalization, Single Cell Encapsulation and Control on Cell Fate(2021)20 cited
• → Cassie–Baxter Surfaces for Reversible, Barrier-Free Integration of Microfluidics and 3D Cell Culture(2019)8 cited
• → Development of novel, simple and low–cost microfluidic platform for supporting 3D dynamic cell culture(2023)