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Alver CG, Álvarez-Cubela S, Altilio I, Hutchison E, Warrner E, Viso ME, Vitale G, Oliver D, Pastori RL, Dominguez-Bendala J, Agarwal A. SliceChip: a benchtop fluidic platform for organotypic culture and serial assessment of human and rodent pancreatic slices. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:1557-1572. [PMID: 38205530 PMCID: PMC10939771 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00850a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Enzymatically isolated pancreatic islets are the most commonly used ex vivo testbeds for diabetes research. Recently, precision-cut living slices of human pancreas are emerging as an exciting alternative because they maintain the complex architecture of the endocrine and exocrine tissues, and do not suffer from the mechanical and chemical stress of enzymatic isolation. We report a fluidic pancreatic SliceChip platform with dynamic environmental controls that generates a warm, oxygenated, and bubble-free fluidic pathway across singular immobilized slices with continuous deliver of fresh media and the ability to perform repeat serial perfusion assessments. A degasser ensures the system remains bubble-free while systemic pressurization with compressed oxygen ensures slice medium remains adequately oxygenated. Computational modeling of perfusion and oxygen dynamics within SliceChip guide the system's physiomimetic culture conditions. Maintenance of the physiological glucose dependent insulin secretion profile across repeat perfusion assessments of individual pancreatic slices kept under physiological oxygen levels demonstrated the culture capacity of our platform. Fluorescent images acquired every 4 hours of transgenic murine pancreatic slices were reliably stable and recoverable over a 5 day period due to the inclusion of a 3D-printed bioinert metallic anchor that maintained slice position within the SliceChip. Our slice on a chip platform has the potential to expand the useability of human pancreatic slices for diabetes pathogenesis and the development of new therapeutic approaches, while also enabling organotypic culture and assessment of other tissue slices such as brain and patient tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles G Alver
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Silvia Álvarez-Cubela
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
| | - Isabella Altilio
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
| | - Emily Hutchison
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
| | - Emma Warrner
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
| | - Mariana E Viso
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
| | - Giana Vitale
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
| | - David Oliver
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
| | - Ricardo L Pastori
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
| | - Juan Dominguez-Bendala
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
| | - Ashutosh Agarwal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
- Desai Sethi Urology Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
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Wang Z, Zhang Y, Li Z, Wang H, Li N, Deng Y. Microfluidic Brain-on-a-Chip: From Key Technology to System Integration and Application. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2304427. [PMID: 37653590 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202304427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
As an ideal in vitro model, brain-on-chip (BoC) is an important tool to comprehensively elucidate brain characteristics. However, the in vitro model for the definition scope of BoC has not been universally recognized. In this review, BoC is divided into brain cells-on-a- chip, brain slices-on-a-chip, and brain organoids-on-a-chip according to the type of culture on the chip. Although these three microfluidic BoCs are constructed in different ways, they all use microfluidic chips as carrier tools. This method can better meet the needs of maintaining high culture activity on a chip for a long time. Moreover, BoC has successfully integrated cell biology, the biological material platform technology of microenvironment on a chip, manufacturing technology, online detection technology on a chip, and so on, enabling the chip to present structural diversity and high compatibility to meet different experimental needs and expand the scope of applications. Here, the relevant core technologies, challenges, and future development trends of BoC are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaohe Wang
- School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yongqian Zhang
- School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Zhe Li
- School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Hao Wang
- School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Nuomin Li
- School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yulin Deng
- School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
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Steiner K, Humpel C. Long-term organotypic brain slices cultured on collagen-based microcontact prints: A perspective for a brain-on-a-chip. J Neurosci Methods 2023; 399:109979. [PMID: 37783349 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Organotypic brain slices are three-dimensional 150 µm-thick sections of a postnatal day 10 mouse and can be cultured for several weeks in vitro. In such brain slices the complex cellular connections are preserved with a high viability. These brain slices can be connected to collagen-loaded microcontact prints to develop a simple brain-on-a-chip model. Using the microcontact printing technique, many peptides or proteins can be printed onto a semipermeable membrane and linked to brain slices. On these microcontact prints, brain-derived nerve fibers grow out, or microglia can get activated and migrate out, or also new brain vessels can be formed. Such a brain-on-a-chip model may allow to develop new drugs or a diagnostic method for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Steiner
- Laboratory of Psychiatry and Experimental Alzheimer's Research, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Christian Humpel
- Laboratory of Psychiatry and Experimental Alzheimer's Research, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria.
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Chen H, Luo Z, Lin X, Zhu Y, Zhao Y. Sensors-integrated organ-on-a-chip for biomedical applications. NANO RESEARCH 2023; 16:1-28. [PMID: 37359077 PMCID: PMC10130312 DOI: 10.1007/s12274-023-5651-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
As a promising new micro-physiological system, organ-on-a-chip has been widely utilized for in vitro pharmaceutical study and tissues engineering based on the three-dimensional constructions of tissues/organs and delicate replication of in vivo-like microenvironment. To better observe the biological processes, a variety of sensors have been integrated to realize in-situ, real-time, and sensitive monitoring of critical signals for organs development and disease modeling. Herein, we discuss the recent research advances made with respect to sensors-integrated organ-on-a-chip in this overall review. Firstly, we briefly explore the underlying fabrication procedures of sensors within microfluidic platforms and several classifications of sensory principles. Then, emphasis is put on the highlighted applications of different types of organ-on-a-chip incorporated with various sensors. Last but not least, perspective on the remaining challenges and future development of sensors-integrated organ-on-a-chip are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanxu Chen
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096 China
| | - Zhiqiang Luo
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096 China
| | - Xiang Lin
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096 China
| | - Yujuan Zhu
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096 China
| | - Yuanjin Zhao
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096 China
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, 325001 China
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Future Trends in Biomaterials and Devices for Cells and Tissues. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043309. [PMID: 36834721 PMCID: PMC9965920 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Setting up physiologically relevant in vitro models requires realizing a proper hierarchical cellular structure, wherein the main tissue features are recapitulated [...].
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Kobayashi Y, Saito Y. Evaluation of ciliary-GPCR dynamics using a validated organotypic brain slice culture method. Methods Cell Biol 2023; 175:69-83. [PMID: 36967146 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2022.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The primary cilium is a structural organelle present in most mammalian cells. Primary cilia are enriched with a unique protein repertoire distinct from that of the cytosol and the plasma membrane. Such a highly organized microenvironment creates effective machinery for translating extracellular cues into intracellular signals. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are key receptors in sensing environmental stimuli transmitted via a second messenger into a cellular response. Recent data has demonstrated that a limited number of non-olfactory GPCRs, including melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1 (MCHR1), are preferentially localized to ciliary membranes of several mammalian cell types, including neuronal cells. Evidence was accumulated to support the functional importance of ciliary-GPCR signaling accompanying ciliary structural changes using cilia-specific cell and molecular biology techniques. Thus, cilia are now considered to function as a unique sensory platform for the integration of GPCR signaling and various cytoplasmic domains. Dissociated neurons expressing ciliary-GPCRs can be a useful tool for examining ciliary dynamics. However, losing preexisting neuronal connectivity may alter neuronal ciliary morphology, such as abnormal elongation. Brain slices prepared under ex vitro conditions are a powerful approach that maintains the cytoarchitecture, enabling researchers to have accurate control over experimental conditions and to study individual cells from subregions of the brain. Here, we present a detailed description of our novel modified method for organotypic culture of rat brain slice and a validated immunostaining protocol to characterize ciliary-GPCR dynamics in coupling with neuropeptides or aminergic activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Kobayashi
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Yumiko Saito
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
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