Emerging 3D printing technologies and methodologies for microfluidic development

Organ-on-a-chip (OoAC) devices are miniaturized, functional, in vitro constructs that aim to recapitulate the in vivo physiology of an organ using different cell types and extracellular matrix, while maintaining the chemical and mechanical properties of the surrounding microenvironments. From an end-point perspective, the success of a microfluidic OoAC relies mainly on the type of biomaterial and the fabrication strategy employed. Certain biomaterials, such as PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), are preferred over others due to their ease of fabrication and proven success in modelling complex organ systems. However, the inherent nature of human microtissues to respond differently to surrounding stimulations has led to the combination of biomaterials ranging from simple PDMS chips to 3D-printed polymers coated with natural and synthetic materials, including hydrogels. In addition, recent advances in 3D printing and bioprinting techniques have led to the powerful combination of utilizing these materials to develop microfluidic OoAC devices. In this narrative review, we evaluate the different materials used to fabricate microfluidic OoAC devices while outlining their pros and cons in different organ systems. A note on combining the advances made in additive manufacturing (AM) techniques for the microfabrication of these complex systems is also discussed.

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“…Natural biopolymers [ 155 ] (e.g., collagen [ 156 ], silk fibroin, gelatin [ 157 ], alginate, and chitosan)…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Microfluidic Organ-on-A-chip: A Guide to Biomaterial Choice and Fabrication

Cao

Zhang

Chen

et al. 2023

IJMS

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“…It is able to facilitate mass production during a single print, offering increased efficiency and productivity in manufacturing processes. 84 Despite the rapid development of 3D printing, there are still some limitations. There are limitations to material selection and surface smoothness in 3D printing of microfluidic chips.…”

Section: D Printingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breast tumor-on-chip: from the tumor microenvironment to medical applications

Liu,

Liu

et al. 2023

Analyst

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“…Importantly, as technology advances, the accuracy of 3D printing continues to improve and is approaching the accuracy of soft lithography. The majority of 3D printing materials are based on acrylates and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, which can lead to undesired biotoxicity [ 47 , 48 ]. The compatibility of 3D printing materials with solvents remains a challenge.…”

Section: Microfluidic Devicementioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in Drug Delivery System Fabricated by Microfluidics for Disease Therapy

2022

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Traditional drug therapy faces challenges such as drug distribution throughout the body, rapid degradation and excretion, and extensive adverse reactions. In contrast, micro/nanoparticles can controllably deliver drugs to target sites to improve drug efficacy. Unlike traditional large-scale synthetic systems, microfluidics allows manipulation of fluids at the microscale and shows great potential in drug delivery and precision medicine. Well-designed microfluidic devices have been used to fabricate multifunctional drug carriers using stimuli-responsive materials. In this review, we first introduce the selection of materials and processing techniques for microfluidic devices. Then, various well-designed microfluidic chips are shown for the fabrication of multifunctional micro/nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicles. Finally, we describe the interaction of drugs with lymphatic vessels that are neglected in organs-on-chips. Overall, the accelerated development of microfluidics holds great potential for the clinical translation of micro/nanoparticle drug delivery systems for disease treatment.

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Emerging 3D printing technologies and methodologies for microfluidic development

Abstract: This review paper examines recent (mostly 2018 or later) advancements in 3D printed microfluidics. Microfluidic devices are widely applied in various fields such as drug delivery, point-of-care diagnosis, and bioanalytical...

Cited by 27 publications

References 116 publications

Microfluidic Organ-on-A-chip: A Guide to Biomaterial Choice and Fabrication

Microfluidic Organ-on-A-chip: A Guide to Biomaterial Choice and Fabrication

Breast tumor-on-chip: from the tumor microenvironment to medical applications

Recent Advances in Drug Delivery System Fabricated by Microfluidics for Disease Therapy

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