A user-friendly scalable microfluidic platform for enhanced neuron-cell culture

用于增强神经元细胞培养的用户友好的可扩展微流体平台

• 批准号: 9568138
• 负责人: ANNE MARION TAYLOR
• 金额: $ 8.49万
• 依托单位: XONA MICROFLUIDICS, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-05-09 至 2018-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9568138
• 关键词: Adhesions; Alpha Cell; Axon; Basic Science; Biochemical; Cell Compartmentation; Cell Culture Techniques; Cell Line; Cells; Communities; Cytoskeleton; Data; Dendrites; Devices; Ensure; Environment; Evaluation; Feedback; Funding; Future; Glass; Goals; Growth; Health; Injury; Investigation; Label; Legal patent; Manuals; Methods; Microfluidic Microchips; Microfluidics; Microscopy; Mission; Mitotic; Molds; Morphology; Neurologic; Neurons; Neurosciences; Neurosciences Research; Optics; Pattern; Phase; Polymers; Population; Preparation; Procedures; Process; Production; Public Health; Reproducibility; Research; Research Personnel; Resolution; Running; Sales; Silicon; Site; Staining method; Stains; Stem cells; Surveys; Synapses; Technology; Testing; Toxicity Tests; United States National Institutes of Health; base; biomaterial compatibility; commercialization; cost; cost effective; design; drug development; drug discovery; experience; extracellular; human embryonic stem cell; human stem cells; improved; in vivo; innovation; interest; neuronal cell body; neuronal growth; novel; poly(dimethylsiloxane); postsynaptic neurons; prevent; prototype; public health relevance; synaptic function; tool; user-friendly

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neuron-cell culture is widely used for studies in basic research, drug discovery, and toxicity testing. Traditional neuron-cell culture approaches result in random growth of processes which prevent the study of their unique polarized morphology. Our goal is to provide robust, user-friendly, and cost effective culture platforms to manipulate and access neurons and their subcellular compartments (axons, cell body and dendrites). Data acquired through sales of prototype platforms developed and patented by our team show a large and increasing demand. Because of the unique morphology of neurons and the difficulty in manipulating and studying neurons in vivo, this platform has rapidly become an important tool for cell-based experimental neuroscience. These platforms are compatible with high resolution microscopy and allow axons to be manipulated and biochemically analyzed. These prototype platforms are currently replica molded using an optically transparent polymer against master-molds that are patterned using photolithography. In Phase I we developed a new fabrication strategy that will allow us to provide devices that are more uniform and significantly reduce our scrap rate by eliminating cutting or punching of the polymer. This Phase II project will first focu on expanding this fabrication strategy to undertake large-scale manufacturing of our platform. Based on customer feedback we also identified unmet needs for preassembled devices, devices optimized for human stem cell-derived neurons, and devices amenable to the investigation of synapses. In this Phase II project we will further focus on these new devices using our feasibility data obtained during the Phase I funding period. The future commercialization of these devices will scientifically benefit the neuroscience research and testing community by enabling new experimental paradigms.

 描述（由适用提供）：神经元细胞培养被广泛用于基础研究，药物发现和毒性测试的研究。传统的神经元细胞培养方法导致过程的随机增长，从而阻止了其独特的两极分化形态的研究。我们的目标是提供强大的，用户友好且具有成本效益的文化平台，以操纵和访问神经元及其亚细胞隔室（轴突，细胞体和树突）。通过我们的团队开发和专利的原型平台的销售获得的数据表明，需求不断增长。由于神经元的独特形态以及在体内操纵和研究神经元的困难，该平台迅速成为基于细胞的实验神经科学的重要工具。这些平台与高分辨率显微镜兼容，并允许对轴突进行操纵和生化分析。这些原型平台目前是使用光学刻画的主载体的光学上透明聚合物模制的，该复制品是使用光刻图案的。在第一阶段，我们制定了一种新的制造策略，该策略将使我们能够提供更均匀的设备，并通过消除聚合物的切割或打孔来显着降低我们的废料率。该第二阶段项目将首先关注扩大这种制造策略，以进行我们平台的大规模制造。根据客户的反馈，我们还确定了对预组装设备的未满足需求，针对人类干细胞衍生的神经元优化的设备以及可符合突触投资的设备。在此II阶段项目中，我们将使用在I期资金期间获得的可行性数据进一步关注这些新设备。这些设备的未来商业化将科学地通过实现新的实验范式来科学地使神经科学研究和测试社区受益。