Organ-On-A-Chip Platforms Created Through Buckled Microchannels of Porous Hydrogel Films

Abstract

Hydrogel-based microchannels with biologically similar morphologies and properties can provide excellent platforms for advanced tissue/organ formation in vitro. However, there are still many restrictions on channel morphology, material selection, tubing connections, etc. Here, a novel and versatile method is proposed that couples cononsolvency photopolymerization, which enables the incorporation of porous structures into hydrogels, with on-chip microchannels formed by buckling of a thin film. This method provides a hydrogel-based microchannel with improved permeability while maintaining its mechanical properties by incorporating a continuous porous structure into a synthetic polymer network with excellent mechanical properties. Furthermore, by culturing vascular endothelial cells into the microchannel, it is demonstrated that the microchannel works as a vessel-on-a-chip platform that can be used for the evaluation of barrier function, fabrication of various channel shapes, and development of co-culture systems. This method, which can be adapted to various swellable hydrogels, can provide platforms with properties and functions tailored to the tissue/organ and, thus, it will contribute to the creation of physiologically relevant biological models.