Speaker
Description
Over the past few years, the development of passive microfluidic Lab-On-Chip (LOC) platforms has opened promising avenues for studying cellular invasion assays. These systems are increasingly relevant in oncology, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.
By eliminating the need for external fluid handling systems (e.g., electric pumps), these platforms facilitate wider adoption in laboratory environments. However, despite their advantages, replicating complex tissue architectures in vitro remains a considerable challenge. Innovative strategies are still required to accurately construct multicellular structures and to enable controlled, on-demand intercellular communication.
The aim of this work is to design and characterize a novel microfluidic device that enables controlled communication between two or more chambers - each potentially housing different cell populations – using hydrophobic microchannels. By exploiting the hydrophobic properties of specific channel regions, communication between compartments can be activated on demand by applying a mild pressure.
This setup is intended to provide a robust model for examining cancer cell migration, embryogenesis, neuronal development, and intercellular signalling in response to various stimuli. Current efforts focus on fabricating a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based device bonded to a standard culture dish. The design incorporates multiple wells interconnected by passive (super)hydrophobic microchannels. A unique aspect of this design is the functionalization of PDMS with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). This modification, originally developed for broader applications, not only enhances the device's hydrophobic properties but also ensures the channels remain stable over time.
In this work, these chambers have been characterized with the perspective of being used for the invasion/migration of cells from the primary tumor site. Specifically, the experimental design is planned in the following way: a tumor sphere is obtained on-chip into one of the device’s wells; a second well, confined by a hydrophobic septum, is filled with culture medium containing TGF-β, able to induce detachment and migration of cells from the spheroid once in communication with the former.
The timing of this assay is identified according to the research needs, and in particular, the communication between wells is activated on demand by applying a mild pressure on the septum, able to overcome hydrophobicity, inducing a kind of passive micro-pumping among chambers, which allows medium exchange among the chambers and the creation of a diffusion gradient. The first phase of this work analyzes the optimization of fabrication parameters and the dynamics of gradient occurrence. Lately, a demonstrator of biological application has been provided.