Application of microfluidic chips in anticancer drug screening

Abstract

With the continuous development of drug screening technology, new screening methodologies and technologies are constantly emerging, driving drug screening into rapid, efficient and high-throughput development. Microfluidics is a rising star in the development of innovative approaches in drug discovery. In this article, we summarize the recent years' progress of microfluidic chip technology in drug screening, including the developmental history, structural design, and applications in different aspects of microfluidic chips on drug screening. Herein, the existing microfluidic chip screening platforms are summarized from four aspects: chip structure design, sample injection and drive system, cell culture technology on a chip, and efficient remote detection technology. Furthermore, this review discusses the application and developmental prospects of using microfluidic chips in drug screening, particularly in screening natural product anticancer drugs based on chemical properties, pharmacological effects, and drug cytotoxicity.

Application of Microfluidics in Drug Development from Traditional Medicine

“…According to Perkel, microfluidics is the study of moving and manipulating minuscule quantities of fluids through nanoscale channels [ 24 ]. Microfluidic chip technology integrates laboratory samples, dilution, reagent addition, reaction, separation, and detection operations on a microchip; it is also known as a micrototal analysis system (TAS) or “laboratory on a chip” [ 13 ].…”

“…These advantages contribute to the irreplaceable benefits of microfluidic chips for many research applications, such as chemical synthesis, proteomics, single-cell analysis, tissue engineering, high throughput screening, environmental analysis, and medical diagnostics [ 28 ]. In July 2006, Nature published six articles introducing microfluidics and highlighting its importance in biomedical and pharmaceutical research [ 13 ]. Numerous drug discovery processes can benefit from the use of microfluidics, including drug compound synthesis, screening, delivery, and carrier manufacturing.…”

“…It provides a conducive environment for cell physiological and biochemical research with minimal sample utilization. Particularly with the advent of microfluidic technology, the limitations of 3D chips, organ chips, and more complex human chips in supplementing single-cell chips and 2D chips have become evident [ 13 , 28 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. This section will shortly describe the application of these microfluidic chips in drug screening, including single-cell and 2D, 3D, and organ and more complicated human chips.…”

“…Traditional screening methods include in vitro cellular assays, in vivo animal experiments, and human clinical trials. However, the process involves significant human and financial resources, as well as time [ 13 ]. It is apprehensive that both traditional in vitro cellular models and in vivo animal models have many drawbacks.…”

“…These are some of the difficulties that need to be addressed regarding the screening process of candidate drugs when drug development is carried out from traditional medicine. Thus, the chosen screening methods should be easy to operate and able to replicate the human in vivo environment; they should also be rapid, high throughput, low cost, reliable, and sensitive [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. The application of microfluidics to drug screening can provide a solution to these challenges.…”