Development of an Easy-to-Fabricate Microdevice for Three-Dimensional Culture and Its Application to Glomerular Endothelial Cell Culture

TL;DR

Researchers created a simple and low-cost microdevice for 3D cell culture, enabling the growth of thick vascular networks for organ-on-a-chip applications.

Contribution

The device is easy to fabricate and supports thick 3D cultures without requiring expensive equipment.

Findings

A 200 µm thick vascular endothelial cell network was successfully constructed using the device.

The device allows nutrient supply to cells without obstruction from adjacent media channels.

The method supports co-culture of human glomerular endothelial cells and fibroblasts.

Abstract

The development of an organ-on-a-chip to reproduce organ functions requires the incorporation of a vascular network within the tissue to transport the necessary nutrients. Tissues thicker than 200 µm cannot survive without a capillary network, necessitating the construction of a vascular network exceeding that thickness. Therefore, we focused on the development of an inexpensive and easy-to-fabricate device for thick three-dimensional(3D)-cultured tissues. This device does not have a conventional pillar array structure, and the nutrient supply to the cells from adjacent media channels is not obstructed. Additionally, this device does not require expensive soft lithography equipment or a high-precision 3D printer to fabricate the mold. Human glomerular endothelial cells and human dermal fibroblasts were co-cultured using this device, and a 3D network of vascular endothelial cells (200 µm thick) was successfully constructed. The results of this study are expected to contribute not only to the study of angiogenesis, but also to the development of 3D tissue models that require the incorporation of capillary networks as well as the development of vascularized organ-on-a-chip and disease models for drug screening.

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