Open AccessVessel-on-a-chip models for studying microvascular physiology, transport, and function in vitro
Author(s) -
Savannah Moses,
Jonathan J. Adorno,
Andre F. Palmer,
Jonathan W. Song
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
american journal of physiology. cell physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.432
H-Index - 181
eISSN - 1522-1563
pISSN - 0363-6143
DOI - 10.1152/ajpcell.00355.2020
Subject(s) - microscale chemistry , microfabrication , organ on a chip , function (biology) , extracellular matrix , nanotechnology , computer science , biochemical engineering , microfluidics , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , engineering , materials science , medicine , pathology , alternative medicine , mathematics , mathematics education , fabrication
To understand how the microvasculature grows and remodels, researchers require reproducible systems that emulate the function of living tissue. Innovative contributions toward fulfilling this important need have been made by engineered microvessels assembled in vitro with microfabrication techniques. Microfabricated vessels, commonly referred to as "vessels-on-a-chip," are from a class of cell culture technologies that uniquely integrate microscale flow phenomena, tissue-level biomolecular transport, cell-cell interactions, and proper three-dimensional (3-D) extracellular matrix environments under well-defined culture conditions. Here, we discuss the enabling attributes of microfabricated vessels that make these models more physiological compared with established cell culture techniques and the potential of these models for advancing microvascular research. This review highlights the key features of microvascular transport and physiology, critically discusses the strengths and limitations of different microfabrication strategies for studying the microvasculature, and provides a perspective on current challenges and future opportunities for vessel-on-a-chip models.