Nmi Naturwissenschaftliches Und Medizinisches Institut an Der Universitaet Tuebingen

Nmi Naturwissenschaftliches Und Medizinisches Institut an Der Universitat Tubingen

Britta Hagmeyer

Martin Stelzle

Felix Holzner

Brigitte Angres

Massimo Kubon

Julia Schuette

Martin Stelze

Werner Simon

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method to assemble organotypical tissues which can then be perfused and investigated under preferably physiological conditions. This is achieved by a microfluidic system for assembling and subsequently cultivating complex cell arrangements, comprising: a three-dimensional microstructure in which the cell arrangement is assembled and cultivated, at least two microchannel segments running in the microstructure and defining a flow direction, through which microchannel segments the microstructure can be perfused from outside with a medium, whereby the microchannel segments run approximately parallel or equidistant to one another at least in sections, a wall structure which separates the at least two microchannel segments and in which at least one aperture connecting the at least two microchannel segments is provided, and an electrode arrangement provided in or on the microstructure in order to generate an inhomogeneous electric field in the region of the at least one aperture.

Microfluidic system and method for assembling and for subsequently cultivating, and subsequent analysis of complex cell arrangements

A microfluidic system () for assembling and subsequently investigating complex cell arrangements has a three-dimensional microstructure () in which the cell culture is assembled, cultivated and investigated. At least two microchannel segments () through which the microstructure () can be perfused from outside with a medium () run in the microstructure (), whereby the microchannel segments () run at least in sections approximately parallel or equidistant to one another. The two microchannel segments () are separated from one another by a wall structure () in which at least one aperture () connecting the two microchannel segments () is provided. An electrode arrangement () is provided in or on the microstructure () in order to generate an inhomogeneous electric field () in the region of the at least one aperture (). A cell arrangement is assembled in this microstructure () by supplying medium () with cells () for assembling the cell culture in the microstructure (), with the inhomogeneous electric field () determined by the microstructure () bringing about the assembling of the cell arrangement from the supplied cells ().

Growing community of inventors

Tuebingen, Germany

Britta Hagmeyer