Summary of Renal Organ Chip
A microfluidic kidney organ chip is a miniature bioreactor for studying kidney physiology and disease that uses microfluidics to control the flow of fluids within the chip to mimic the physiological environment of the kidney.
Such chips typically consist of multiple microreactors, each containing a limited number of renal tubular cells.
These cells are encased in a layer of microscopic tubes through which fluid can flow through the kidney tubule cells in a very fine-grained manner.
The microfluidic chip also creates microchannels between the reactors to mimic the ureters and bladders of the kidneys.
Through microfluidic renal organ chips, researchers can better understand the pathogenesis of kidney diseases, develop new treatments and screen drugs. In addition, microfluidic renal organ chips can be used for kidney screening before kidney transplantation to ensure that the transplanted kidney functions well.
Experimental Methods for Renal Organ Microarrays
The experimental methodology of microfluidic renal organ chips can generally be divided into the following steps:
- Preparation of microfluidic chips: Preparation of microfluidic chips requires the use of micro-nanofabrication techniques to fabricate structures such as microtubes and micropores onto the surface of the chip. The prepared chip needs to be surface treated so that the renal tubular cells can adhere and grow.
- Cultured renal tubular cells: renal tubular cells are isolated from animal or human kidney tissue and cultured in a petri dish until they reach a certain density and growth state.
- Assembly of the microfluidic chip: Cultured renal tubular cells were injected into the microfluidic chip and the inlet and outlet pipes of the chip were connected.
- Fluid Experiment: A pumping system is used to inject fluids simulating urine into the microfluidic chip and control its flow speed and pressure and other parameters in the chip. The composition of the fluid and the flow conditions can be adjusted to simulate different renal physiological states, such as glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption and excretion.
- Data acquisition and analysis: With tools such as microscopes and image processing systems, parameters such as renal tubular cells and fluid flow can be monitored and recorded in real time. It is also possible to analyze renal tubular cell metabolites, ion concentration and drug metabolism under different flow conditions.
Experiments with microfluidic renal organ chips allow for a better understanding of renal physiology and pathological processes and the development of new therapeutic approaches and drug screening techniques.
Recent advances in renal organ microarrays
Microfluidic renal organ microarrays are a rapidly developing research field, and many important research advances have been made in recent years. The following are some of the latest research results:
- Improvements in kidney modeling: Researchers are developing more elaborate kidney models that include more accurate cell types and microenvironments. For example, some studies have successfully integrated multiple cell types into microfluidic chips to mimic the complex functions and interactions of the kidney.
- Disease modeling: Microfluidic renal organ chips can also be used to model renal diseases such as glomerulonephritis and tubular necrosis. These models can be used to study the pathogenesis of kidney diseases and for drug screening.
- DRUG SCREENING: Microfluidic renal organ chips can be used to screen renal drugs, including nephrotoxicity tests and drug metabolism studies. These tests can help develop safer and more effective drugs.
- Pre-transplant screening: The microfluidic kidney organ chip can also be used for pre-transplant kidney screening to ensure that the transplanted kidney is functioning well. Researchers are developing finer screening methods to improve the success rate of kidney transplants.
In conclusion, research on microfluidic renal organoids is evolving and is expected to make greater contributions to the treatment of renal diseases and drug development in the future.
Recommended Literature Reading for Renal Organ Chips
Below are several recently published papers on microfluidic renal organ-on-a-chip with a brief description of their main points:
- Article title: A 3D-printed modular system for multiscale perfusion, real-time imaging, and computational modeling of renal physiology Journal information: Biomaterials,. Journal information: Biomaterials, Volume 275, 2021, 120989
This study describes a novel 3D-printed microfluidic renal organ-on-a-chip system that allows for the study of renal physiology at multiple scales. The system consists of a multistage microfluidic chip that can simulate renal structures such as glomeruli, tubules and collecting ducts, as well as real-time imaging and computational simulations. The results show that the system can provide a more realistic model of the kidney and is expected to play an important role in the study of kidney physiology and disease.
- Article Title: A Human Renal Proximal Tubule-On-A-Chip for Studying Drug-Induced Nephrotoxicity Journal Information: Advanced Healthcare Materials, Volume 10, Issue 19,. 2021, 2100602
In this study, a novel renal proximal tubule microarray was developed, which can be used to study drug-induced nephrotoxicity. The chip includes renal proximal tubule cells and a microfluidic chip that can mimic the physiological and pathological processes of the renal proximal tubule. The results show that the chip can provide a more realistic test of nephrotoxicity and is expected to play an important role in drug development and safety assessment.
- Article Title: Tissue-Specific Extracellular Matrix Enhances Skeletal Muscle and Kidney Function in a Microphysiological System Journal Information: Advanced Functional Materials, Volume 31, Issue 39, 2021, 2104151
In this study, a novel microfluidic muscle-kidney organ-on-a-chip system was developed using tissue-specific extracellular matrix (ECM) from muscle and kidney. The system can simulate the interaction between kidney and muscle and provide a more realistic model of muscle and kidney. The results show that the system can improve muscle and kidney function and is expected to play an important role in the study of muscle and kidney diseases.
All three of these papers demonstrate the potential of microfluidic renal organoids in the study of renal physiology and disease, and improve upon existing methods and techniques through different
Organ-on-a-chip model
Cell migration microarrays to study cell-to-cell interactions and the effects of perfusion versus diffusion-based, real-time analysis of experiments with all cell populations, Cell migration microarrays are designed to mimic the formation and transport of tight and gap junctions (e.g., the blood-brain barrier and other endothelial/tissue interfaces), and are available with a wide range of choices in channel sizes, tissue compartment sizes, and scaffolds, as well as barrier designs.
Slit Barrier or Pillar Barrier Options
Slit Barrier: This device utilizes slits spaced at regular intervals to form a barrier area between the outer and inner chambers.
Available standard design parameters include:
- Outer Channel Width (OC): 100 μm or 200 μm
- Stroke width (T): 50 μm or 100 μm
- Slit Spacing (SS): 50 µm or 100 µm
- Slit width (WS): 5um, variable
DXFLUIDICS
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Let the flower of life bloom more beautifully, Dxfluidics microfluidic organ chips make miniature life experiments more precise!
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