Three-dimensional microfluidic tumor-macrophage system for breast cancer cell invasion.

The recrudescence of breast cancer can partly be attributed to poor understanding of the early steps and the mechanisms involved in breast cancer metastasis, especially how tumor inflammatory cells including tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) affect invasion process. However, invasion-related biological studies in traditional in vitro assays or in vivo models are challenging due to the arduousness in establishing models that precisely reproduce the tumor invasion environment. To this end, we proposed a juxtaposed dual-layer cell-loaded hydrogels biomimetic microfluidic system and formed monolayer size-selective permeable vascular endothelial barriers besides the dual layer to mimic mammalian blood vessels.

An AC electrothermal self-circulating system with a minimalist process to construct a biomimetic liver lobule model for drug testing.

Liver-on-chip, due to its precision and low cost for constructing models, has tremendous potential for drug toxicity testing and pathological studies. By applying APAP (acetaminophen) treatment of different concentrations, a dynamic self-circulating liver lobule model for drug testing was proven useful for emulating the human physiological system. However, the demand for a dynamic system of on-chip organs is difficult to fulfil due to the relatively cumbersome fabrication processes.

Microfluidic system for modelling 3D tumour invasion into surrounding stroma and drug screening.

Tumour invasion into the surrounding stroma is a critical step in metastasis, and it is necessary to clarify the role of microenvironmental factors in tumour invasion. We present a microfluidic system that simulated and controlled multi-factors of the tumour microenvironment for three-dimensional (3D) assessment of tumour invasion into the stroma. The simultaneous, precise and continuous arrangement of two 3D matrices was visualised to observe the migration of cancer cell populations or single cells by transfecting cells with a fluorescent protein.

Construction of a liver sinusoid based on the laminar flow on chip and self-assembly of endothelial cells.

The liver is one of the main metabolic organs, and nearly all ingested drugs will be metabolized by the liver. Only a small fraction of drugs are able to come onto the market during drug development, and hepatic toxicity is a major cause for drug failure. Since drug development is costly in both time and materials, an in vitro liver model that can accelerate bioreactions in the liver and reduce drug consumption is imperative in the pharmaceutical industry.