Development of microfluidic cell culture system in preparation for human organ on a chip

抄録

There is a greater demand for experimental models of human organ in medical science. In preparation for the models, we seeded human umbilical vascular endothelial cells on a microfluidic chip made of silicone and perfused medium with peristaltic pump, to mimic microvasculature of an organ. We tested the feasibility of live cellular imaging with the chip. Alteration of intracellular calcium level in response to shear stress due to the flow of medium was successfully recorded under fluorescent microscope. After fixation of the cells with paraformaldehyde, dual staining of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), a marker for endothelial cells, and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, a stain for nucleus, was performed. Immunofluorescence corresponds to PECAM-1 at the cell-cell junction was confirmed under confocal microscope. On the other hand, attachment of the cells can be improved by optimizing the coating procedure of extracellular matrix proteins. We will apply this system to develop a human heart-on-a-chip.