CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Microfluidic chips are useful devices for cell culture, allowing cell growth under highly controlled conditions, as is required for the production of therapeutic recombinant proteins. Microfluidic cell culture platforms present some advantages compared to those in batch mode, such as miniaturization, real-time microscopic observation, shorter response time, a high surface/volume ratio, possibility of high-throughput arrays fabrication and more homogeneous and controlable microenvironment. To understand the optimal conditions for the growth of cells amenable of recombinant protein expression in these devices, we cultured HEK-293T cells under different microfluidic experimental conditions. These cells were cultured in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microdevices. The application of a perfusion system within a microdevice for cell culture requires that the cells form strong attachments to the device surface; thus, study of the cells growth was carried out in the absence or presence of the cell adhesion agent poly-D-lysine. Different microchannel geometries and thicknesses, as well as the influence of the flow rate have also been tested, showing their great influence in cell adhesion and growth. Results show that the presence of poly-D-lysine improves the adhesion and viability of the cells in continuous or discontinuous flow. Moreover, the optimal adhesion of cells was observed in the corners of the microchannels, as well as in wide channels possibly due to the decrease in the flow rate in these areas.These studies provide insight into the optimal architecture of microchannels, as well as experimental conditions, for long term culture of adherent cells in order to use microfludic devices as bioreactors for monoclonal antibodies production and their use in cancer therapy

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