The advantages of microfluidic systems in cell biology research
Microfabrication integrating micropatterning technique with advanced surface chemistry makes it possible to reproducet issue microenvironment at cell level, which is one of the cornerstones of cell-based microfluidic systems and is also a kind of effective way to precisely control the cellular microenvironment, and thus provides opportunities to understand biochemical and mechanical factors responsible for cell behavior changes such as the effects of cell shape and cell adherence on the micropatterned matrix . There are a large variety of surfacepatterning techniques available, such as photoreactive chemistry, standard photolithography liftoff techniques, and techniques based on soft lithography (microcontact printing and fluidic patterning) . Surface patterning of microscale features allows cell level control over cellcell, cellECM interactions and can be used to generate cell aggregations with defined geometry. The development of microfluidic systems provide biologists simple in vitro models that can present cells with the multiple dynamic variations in spatiotemporal chemical gradients and mechanical forces in a controllable and reproducible fashion.
These systems can also easily link cell culture with analytical devices with which cell behaviors can be observed and thus enable cellbased assay from cell culture to biochemical analysis, including culture, treatment, selection, lysis, separation and analysis . Microfluidic cell culture systems have been miniaturized to create nanolitre growth chambers in which extremely small population of cell can be monitored . Several parallel or multiple bioreactors can operate on a single, well designed, microfluidic chip. Each reactor can be used to monitor the growth of cells in extremely small numbers independently or interactively . Microfluidic systems can also contain a whole experimental process that consists of a series of successive steps by combining several different functional sections logically.
