Microplatforms for Gradient Field Generation of Various Properties and Biological Applications

Kim, Sung Hwan; Lee, Gi Hun; Park, Joong Yull; Lee, Sang Hoon

doi:10.1177/2211068214562247

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…Neurological study has increasingly embraced microfluidics-based technologies, with numerous systems used to examine varied aspects of embryogenesis (Levario et al, 2013), neural regeneration and growth (Brunello et al, 2013) and intracellular synaptic activity (Chotard and Salecker, 2004; Kim et al, 2010; Tabata, 2015), among others (Cimetta and Vunjak-Novakovic, 2014; Kim et al, 2015). Previous work from our group has developed microdevices to analyze NS behaviors in response to controlled environments generated without the use of forced flow (Able et al, 2012; Kong et al, 2010; Mishra et al, 2015; Rico-Varela et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Controlled microfluidics to examine growth-factor induced migration of neural progenitors in the Drosophila visual system

Beck

Singh

Farooqi

et al. 2016

Journal of Neuroscience Methods

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Background The developing visual system in Drosophila melanogaster provides an excellent model with which to examine the effects of changing microenvironments on neural cell migration via microfluidics, because the combined experimental system enables direct genetic manipulation, in vivo observation, and in vitro imaging of cells, post-embryo. Exogenous signaling from ligands such as fibroblast growth factor (FGF) is well-known to control glia differentiation, cell migration, and axonal wrapping central to vision. New method The current study employs a microfluidic device to examine how controlled concentration gradient fields of FGF are able to regulate the migration of vision-critical glia cells with and without cellular contact with neuronal progenitors. Results Our findings quantitatively illustrate a concentration-gradient dependent chemotaxis toward FGF, and further demonstrate that glia require collective and coordinated neuronal locomotion to achieve directionality, sustain motility, and propagate long cell distances in the visual system. Comparison with existing method(s) Conventional assays are unable to examine concentration- and gradient-dependent migration. Our data illustrate quantitative correlations between ligand concentration/gradient and glial cell distance traveled, independent or in contact with neurons. Conclusions Microfluidic systems in combination with a genetically-amenable experimental system empowers researchers to dissect the signaling pathways that underlie cellular migration during nervous system development. Our findings illustrate the need for coordinated neuron-glia migration in the Drosophila visual system, as only glia within heterogeneous populations exhibited increasing motility along distances that increased with increasing FGF concentration. Such coordinated migration and chemotactic dependence can be manipulated for potential therapeutic avenues for NS repair and/or disease treatment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Controlled microfluidics to examine growth-factor induced migration of neural progenitors in the Drosophila visual system

Beck

Singh

Farooqi

et al. 2016

Journal of Neuroscience Methods

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“…There are comprehensive review papers in literature that have outlined the development and the variety of flow-based microfluidic devices for bacterial chemotaxis [17][18][19] as well as for general biomedical research. [20][21][22] Here, we summarize a few flow-based microfluidic designs that many of these devices share in common. The simplest design of a microfluidic gradient generator is shown in Figure 1(a), where two streams of fluid, one containing a chemoeffector, join together at a junction.…”

Section: Flow-based Microfluidics Gradient Generators For Bacterimentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives in flow-based microfluidic gradient generators for characterizing bacterial chemotaxis

2016

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Chemotaxis is a phenomenon which enables cells to sense concentrations of certain chemical species in their microenvironment and move towards chemically favorable regions. Recent advances in microbiology have engineered the chemotactic properties of bacteria to perform novel functions, but traditional methods of characterizing chemotaxis do not fully capture the associated cell motion, making it difficult to infer mechanisms that link the motion to the microbiology which induces it. Microfluidics offers a potential solution in the form of gradient generators. Many of the gradient generators studied to date for this application are flow-based, where a chemical species diffuses across the laminar flow interface between two solutions moving through a microchannel. Despite significant research efforts, flow-based gradient generators have achieved mixed success at accurately capturing the highly subtle chemotactic responses exhibited by bacteria. Here we present an analysis encompassing previously published versions of flow-based gradient generators, the theories that govern their gradient-generating properties, and new, more practical considerations that result from experimental factors. We conclude that flow-based gradient generators present a challenge inherent to their design in that the residence time and gradient decay must be finely balanced, and that this significantly narrows the window for reliable observation and quantification of chemotactic motion. This challenge is compounded by the effects of shear on an ellipsoidal bacterium that causes it to preferentially align with the direction of flow and subsequently suppresses the cross-flow chemotactic response. These problems suggest that a static, non-flowing gradient generator may be a more suitable platform for chemotaxis studies in the long run, despite posing greater difficulties in design and fabrication.

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“…T-channel is one of popular microchannel geometries to have two different solutions from each inlet which come into the main channel to create molecules transportation among the two steams only via diffusion by utilizing laminar flow characteristics ( Figure 4(a) ) [ 46 , 47 ]. The biological and chemical processes are significantly considered about gradient of solutions properties [ 48 , 49 ]. Many studies have reported that the cells are influenced by concentration gradient of diffusible signalling molecules [ 50 , 51 ].…”

Section: Microfluidic Channelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Features of Microsystems for Cultivation and Characterization of Stem Cells with the Aim of Regenerative Therapy

Ahn

Kim

Lee

et al. 2016

Stem Cells International

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Stem cells have infinite potential for regenerative therapy thanks to their advantageous ability which is differentiable to requisite cell types for recovery and self-renewal. The microsystem has been proved to be more helpful to stem cell studies compared to the traditional methods, relying on its advantageous feature of mimicking in vivo cellular environments as well as other profitable features such as minimum sample consumption for analysis and multiprocedures. A wide variety of microsystems were developed for stem cell studies; however, regenerative therapy-targeted applications of microtechnology should be more emphasized and gain more attractions since the regenerative therapy is one of ultimate goals of biologists and bioengineers. In this review, we introduce stem cell researches harnessing well-known microtechniques (microwell, micropattern, and microfluidic channel) in view point of physical principles and how these systems and principles have been implemented appropriately for characterizing stem cells and finding possible regenerative therapies. Biologists may gain information on the principles of microsystems to apply them to find solutions for their current challenges, and engineers may understand limitations of the conventional microsystems and find new chances for further developing practical microsystems. Through the well combination of engineers and biologists, the regenerative therapy-targeted stem cell researches harnessing microtechnology will find better suitable treatments for human disorders.

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Microplatforms for Gradient Field Generation of Various Properties and Biological Applications

Cited by 11 publications

References 81 publications

Controlled microfluidics to examine growth-factor induced migration of neural progenitors in the Drosophila visual system

Controlled microfluidics to examine growth-factor induced migration of neural progenitors in the Drosophila visual system

Perspectives in flow-based microfluidic gradient generators for characterizing bacterial chemotaxis

Features of Microsystems for Cultivation and Characterization of Stem Cells with the Aim of Regenerative Therapy

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