Microfluidic-Based System for Mimicking Human Organs

Project goal: To develop a lung-on-a-chip that mimics the blood-gas exchange that occurs in the alveoli found in human lungs. The microfluidic-based lung-on-chip provides researchers with a cost-effective device that enables real-time ex vivo assays of foreign agent effects on human lung tissue with an air-liquid interface. Micro-fabrication techniques were used to create a device made of a clear, flexible and inert polydimethylsiloxane polymer. The device is composed of two stacked flow chambers separated by a porous membrane, which creates an air-liquid interface that mimics the lung’s alveoli. Epithelial lung cells on the top channel of the device are subjected to air flow, which recreates breathing motions, while the endothelial cells opposite the membrane are subjected to nutrient flow (that is, blood flow). A system that achieved real-time monitoring of the lung tissue was tested and demonstrated an application of the lung-on-chip. This involved the introduction of e-cigarette aerosol particles to the air chambers and subsequent analysis of the cell characteristics. It was confirmed that the system design sustains a tissue mono-layer in the micro-channel under regular air and liquid flow for an extended period.