Editorial for the Special Issue on Micro/Nanofluidic and Lab-on-a-Chip Devices for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Micro/Nanofluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices have been increasingly used in biomedical research [...]

Current progress in micro/nanofluidic chips and applications in cancer research and therapy

“…The chip designed with micro and nanochannels inside manage to simulate and surpass the cancer xenograft model in certain cancer and drug studies. In one of the recent studies, the efficacy of oxaliplatin against HCT116 colorectal tumour is tested by placing the cancer spheroids inside a microfluidic chip, with exposure of the spheroids to dynamic, in vivo-like concentrations of oxaliplatin [10]. The chip is designed with two main parts, with a straight microchannel on top to simulate the continuous provision of nutrients and medicines and a well below for placing and culturing a single spheroid [10].…”

“…In one of the recent studies, the efficacy of oxaliplatin against HCT116 colorectal tumour is tested by placing the cancer spheroids inside a microfluidic chip, with exposure of the spheroids to dynamic, in vivo-like concentrations of oxaliplatin [10]. The chip is designed with two main parts, with a straight microchannel on top to simulate the continuous provision of nutrients and medicines and a well below for placing and culturing a single spheroid [10]. By comparing different properties of the growth and shrinking of the spheroid among chip, xenograft implantation in mice and the control group, it has been shown that the microchannel chip system is able to recapitulate important characteristics and activities of tumours and xenograft models.…”

“…The concentration difference of fluid inside the NDES and the tumour drives the flowing of antibodies into the tumour continuously until the antibodies in the seed are used up. Recently NDES has been tested for triple negative breast cancer and pancreatic cancer, receiving positive results [10,11]. For dealing with distinct cancers, different antibodies of different sizes are used.…”

“…First, over simplification in biological complexity due to species differences between the host animal such as mice and the human source often confounds experimental outcomes. Moreover, the precision of measurement of tumour volume through the skin using callipers may be restricted, and thus the results may not correctly reflect the dynamic changes inside the tumour [10]. Furthermore, a considerable number of animals are required for histological examinations at various time periods.…”

“…For instance, the application of chemicals like Pluronic F127 on the well surface of the chip, can prevent adhesion and non-spheroidal growth of the spheroids. This ensures the outer diameter to accurately reflect the spheroid volume, mimicking the xenografts model and enhancing the precision of measurements [10]. To simulate the conditions in real human tissues, various chemicals, techniques such as electrophoresis, more intricate design with nanochannels can be added to the chip, which has higher flexibility than using xenografts where all the conditions are restricted by the host animals.…”