Novel dual-flow perfusion bioreactor for in vitro pre-screening of nanoparticles delivery: design, characterization and testing

Abstract

An advanced dual-flow perfusion bioreactor with a simple and compact design was developed and evaluated as a potential apparatus to reduce the gap between animal testing and drug administration to human subjects in clinical trials. All the experimental tests were carried out using an ad hoc Poly Lactic Acid (PLLA) scaffold synthesized via Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS). The bioreactor shows a tunable radial flow throughout the microporous matrix of the scaffold. The radial perfusion was quantified both with permeability tests and with a mathematical model, applying a combination of Darcy's Theory, Bernoulli's Equation, and Poiseuille's Law. Finally, a diffusion test allowed to investigate the efficacy of the radial flow using Polymeric Fluorescent Nanoparticles (FNPs) mimicking drug/colloidal carriers. These tests confirmed the ability of our bioreactor to create a uniform distribution of particles inside porous matrices. All the findings candidate our system as a potential tool for drug pre-screening testing with a cost and time reduction over animal models.

Human‐based new approach methodologies to accelerate advances in nutrition research

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A dynamic air–liquid interface system for in vitro mimicking of the nasal mucosa

“…In a previous work (Lombardo et al, 2021), we described a custom-made double-flow bioreactor able to perfuse an adjustable radial flow through the microporous matrix of a hollow cylindrical scaffold and applied it to drug prescreening testing. The design of this novel bioreactor system and the morphology of the scaffold are described in Section 2.…”