A microfluidic approach for development of hybrid collagen-chitosan extracellular matrix-like membranes for on-chip cell cultures

To advance organ-on-a-chip development and other areas befitting from physiologically-relevant biomembranes, a microfluidic platform is presented for synthesis of biomembranes during gelation and investigation into their role as extracellular matrix supports. In this work, high-throughput studies of collagen, chitosan, and collagen-chitosan hybrid biomembranes were carried out to characterize and compare key properties as a function of the applied hydrodynamic conditions during gelation. Specifically, depending on the biopolymer material used, varying flow conditions during biomembrane gelation caused width, uniformity, and swelling ratio to be differently affected and controllable. Finally, cell viability studies of seeded fibroblasts were conducted, thus showing the potential for biological applications. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Automated summary

This study presents a microfluidic platform for synthesizing biomembranes and investigating their role as extracellular matrix supports. Different flow conditions during gelation process affect key properties of biomembranes such as width, uniformity, and swelling ratio depending on the biopolymer material used. Cell viability studies on seeded fibroblasts demonstrate the potential for biological applications.