Microfluidic systems: A new toolbox for pluripotent stem cells

Conventional culture systems are often limited in their ability to regulate the growth and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. Microfluidic systems can overcome some of these limitations by providing defined growth conditions with user‐controlled spatiotemporal cues. Microfluidic systems allo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biotechnology journal 2013-02, Vol.8 (2), p.180-191
Main Authors: Lesher-Perez, Sasha Cai, Frampton, John P., Takayama, Shuichi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bioengineering
Cell Culture Techniques
Cell Differentiation
Cells, Cultured
Embryonic Development
Embryonic stem cells
Embryonic Stem Cells - cytology
Humans
Microfluidics
Microfluidics - instrumentation
Microfluidics - methods
Pluripotent stem cells
Pluripotent Stem Cells - cytology
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Summary:Conventional culture systems are often limited in their ability to regulate the growth and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. Microfluidic systems can overcome some of these limitations by providing defined growth conditions with user‐controlled spatiotemporal cues. Microfluidic systems allow researchers to modulate pluripotent stem cell renewal and differentiation through biochemical and mechanical stimulation, as well as through microscale patterning and organization of cells and extracellular materials. Essentially, microfluidic tools are reducing the gap between in vitro cell culture environments and the complex and dynamic features of the in vivo stem cell niche. These microfluidic culture systems can also be integrated with microanalytical tools to assess the health and molecular status of pluripotent stem cells. The ability to control biochemical and mechanical input to cells, as well as rapidly and efficiently analyze the biological output from cells, will further our understanding of stem cells and help translate them into clinical use. This review provides a comprehensive insignt into the implications of microfluidics on pluripotent stem cell research. Conventional culture systems are often limited in their ability to regulate the growth and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. In this review, the authors describe technologies that move small volumes of fluids (on microscales) and how they can be used with stem cells. These technologies can provide precise signals that control stem cells, causing them to self‐renew (produce more stem cells) or differentiate (become any of the cells in the body). They can also be used to investigate the biology of stem cells and test their quality for medical applications. These powerful tools could one day be used to combat degenerative diseases.
ISSN:1860-6768
1860-7314
DOI:10.1002/biot.201200206