Integration of organ models by a perfusable vascular network in a microfluidic device

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K16386
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biomedical engineering/Biomaterial science and engineering
• Research Institution: Tohoku University (2017-2018); Kyoto University (2016)
• Principal Investigator: Nashimoto Yuji 東北大学, 学際科学フロンティア研究所, 助教 (80757617)
• Research Collaborator: Yokokawa Ryuji ; Torisawa Yu-suke ; Shiku Hitoshi
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: Body-on-a-chip / 組織モデル / マイクロ流体デバイス / 血管 / スフェロイド / 細胞凝集塊 / オルガノイド

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we developed a microfluidic platform to integrate organ models by a perfusable vascular network, which enable to study in vivo-like ADME (adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) for drug screening. We realized the vascularization of a lung mesenchymal tissue model and a breast cancer model and evaluated the drug response in the constructed platform. The cell proliferation activity was enhanced by the intraluminal flow through the engineered vascular network, which is never reported until now, to my best of our knowledge. In addition, we developed a microfluidic device to culture multiple vascularized organ models in a single platform.

Free Research Field

生体医工学，分析化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

生体内の各組織は血管網で結ばれており，相互に作用している．これまで，肺，肝臓，腎臓といった各組織のモデルは報告されていたが，それらを結ぶ血管の構築は報告されていなかった．本研究では，マイクロ流体技術を利用して，組織の血管化技術を開発するとともに，それらを統合する新たなデバイスを開発，実現した．