Application of Microfluidics in Stem Cell Culture

Abstract

In this chapter, we review the recent developments, including our studies on the microfabricated devices applicable to stem cell culture. We will focus on the application of pluripotent stem cells including embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. In the first section, we provide a background on microfluidic devices, including their fabrication technology, characteristics, and the advantages of their application in stem cell culture. The second section outlines the use of micropatterning technology in stem cell culture. The use of microwell array technology in stem cell culture is explored in the third section. In the fourth section, we discuss the use of the microfluidic perfusion culture system for stem cell culture, and the last section is a summary of the current state of the art and perspectives of microfluidic technologies in stem cell culture. Keywords:Embryonic stem ES cells, induced pluripotent stem iPS cells, microfluidic perfusion culture, micropatterning, microwell array . IntroductionThis section provides a general background on microfluidic devices and explains the general microfabrication technologies applicable to stem cell culture including embryonic stem ES cells and induced pluripotent stem iPS cells. We will discuss the importance of smallscale patterning, three-dimensional structure, and medium flow in terms of microenvironment control and the importance of small volumes, in terms of research cost, for industrial application. . . Microfabrication technology available for stem cell cultureMicrofabrication technology progressed rapidly with the development of semiconductor industry in the th century. By the end of the th century, the application of microfabrication © 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. technology started to grow in different research areas including biotechnology. In biotechnology, microfabrication technology was initially used for molecular analyses of DNA and proteins and gradually its application diversified to cell culture. This technology enabled precise fabrication of structures with sizes as small as submicrometer, replication of the fabricated structure, liquid manipulation in very small volumes, portability of the devices, and usage of small amounts of expensive reagents. Owing to these advantages, microfabrication technology is expected to create new applications in the cell culture including stem cells.Many types of materials, including inorganic materials, metals, polymers, and plastics, are applicable to microfabrication. Silicon and glass have been used to fabricate microstructures and semiconductor devices [ , ]. Polydimethylsiloxane PDMS , a silicone elastomer, is the most popular material used for the fabrication of microfluidic cell culture devices due to the ease of fabrication, o...

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