Microfluidics and biosensors as tools for NanoBioSystems research with applications in the “Life Science”

Thermoforming techniques for manufacturing porous scaffolds for application in 3D cell cultivation

“…The resulting pore sizes allow perfusion of fluids while retaining the cells. Recently, it was demonstrated that structures of such dimensions are suitable for 3D cell cultivation [18,19] and that cells can be easily harvested from the scaffolds. The regular structure enables modeling of biological processes and analysis of 3D images, while the controlled permeability allows regulated mass transport.…”

“…Due to the flexibility of material selection, as well as the ability to easily control scaffold shapes, thermoformed porous substrates can be employed in various biomedical applications [18].…”

Mimicking the biological world: Methods for the 3D structuring of artificial cellular environments

“…With additional flexible solid layers, acting as transfer membrane, it is also possible to form porous substrates that have great advantages in application as cell culturing scaffold [9]. Structures vary from simple line structures with different ratios to complex hexagonal or honeycomb structures [32,49], which can be perfused or super fused by cell culturing media inside of bioreactor systems.…”

“…Several recent approaches used porous cell supporting substrates which had been microstructured [2][3][4][5] and integrated into perfusable bioreactor systems [4,6,7] and into miniaturized microbioreactors [8,9]. This includes the integration of various sensing device as well, which can monitor the physiological and electrophysiological changes over time.…”

“…This could be accomplished, for example, by embedding the complete 3D environment in a perfusable bioreactor integrated with microfluidic devices for nutrition flow and the formation of diffusion gradients. Several recent approaches used porous cell supporting substrates which had been microstructured [2][3][4][5] and integrated into perfusable bioreactor systems [4,6,7] and into miniaturized microbioreactors [8,9].…”