A tiny biochip, developed by scientists from the University Michigan, opens new opportunities to study cardiovascular disease:
The system of tiny valves and channels on the chip mimic blood flow in the body, said biomedical engineering professor Shuichi Takayama, corresponding author of the paper, “Computer Controlled Microcirculatory Support System for Endothelial Cell Culture and Shearing,” scheduled to appear in July in the journal Analytical Chemistry.
The design lets scientists study the fluid mechanical effects of blood flow (called shear stress) in certain cells that play a critical role in heart disease. The cells, called endothelial cells, line the inner walls of blood vessels. The changes in ECs caused when blood flows past them at different speeds and rhythms are at least partly responsible for fueling certain diseases-including cardiovascular disease.
Studying endothelial cells in a Petri dish is often ineffective because the test environment is static, like bath water, said Takayama, so the cells are not acting as they would in the body where they are exposed to flow, like in a river. But with the U-M system, scientists can adjust the flow through the channels on the chip so that the ECs think they are inside an artery or vein, or maybe even inside the blood vessels of a couch potato or a regular exerciser, Takayama said.
The system is also capable of mimicking the irregular, surging flow of blood pumped by the heart. A big question in the study of heart disease and cardiovascular research is how these endothelial cells sense and convert the fluid mechanical stresses associated with blood flowing past the cell into diseases, such as hardening of the arteries or thrombosis. Answering those questions will provide big clues to developing therapies to regulate ECs.
To study this question, scientists have developed systems that model the physiological flow conditions of blood in the body. However, existing model systems cannot perform multiple experiments, are not easily portable, consume large amounts of reagents and can become contaminated easily.
The U-M team’s chip differs from others because the intricate system of pumps and channels lets researchers sustain high levels of shear stress on the cells for hours or days, with various patterns of flow similar to how endothelial cells in the body are exposed to changing shear stress levels caused when blood flows past the cell. The microfluidic valving and pumping system lets researchers perform different tests simultaneously in multiple channels on the same chip.
The press release…
Dr. Shuichi Takayama’s website…