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Biomaterials and Microfluidics for Drug Discovery and Development

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Part of the Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series (AEMB, volume 1230)

Abstract

Microfluidic devices are now one of the most promising tools to mimic in vivo like conditions, either in normal or disease scenarios, such as tumorigenesis or pathogenesis. Together with the potential of biomaterials, its combination with microfluidics represents the ability to more closely mimic cells’ natural microenvironment concerning its three-dimensional (3D) nature and continuous perfusion with nutrients and cells’ crosstalk. Due to miniaturization and increased experimental throughput, microfluidics have generated significant interest in the drug discovery and development domain. Herein, the most recent advances in the field of microfluidics for drug discovery are overviewed, and the role of biomaterials in 3D in vitro models and the contribution of organ-on-a-chip technologies highlighted.

Keywords

3D models Biomaterials Drug discovery Microfluidics Organ-on-a-chip Cancer 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This chapter is a result of the project FROnTHERA (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000023), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Mariana Carvalho acknowledges her PhD scholarship NORTE-08-5369-FSE-000044, funded by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte, Fundo Social Europeu, Norte2020 TERM&SC and EMBO Short-Term Fellowship 7232 J. M. Oliveira thanks FCT for his distinction attributed under the FCT Investigator program (IF/01285/2015).

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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.3B’s Research Group, I3Bs – Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative MedicineGuimarãesPortugal
  2. 2.ICVS/3B’s PT Government Associate LabBraga/GuimarãesPortugal
  3. 3.The Discoveries Centre for Regenerative and Precision Medicine, Headquarters at University of MinhoGuimarãesPortugal
  4. 4.Department of Complex Tissue RegenerationMERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Maastricht UniversityMaastrichtThe Netherlands

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