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Integrated Microfluidics Platforms for Investigating Injury and Regeneration of CNS Axons

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Abstract

We describe the development of experimental platforms to quantify the regeneration of injured central nervous system (CNS) neurons by combining engineering technologies and primary neuronal cultures. Although the regeneration of CNS neurons is an important area of research, there are no currently available methods to screen for drugs. Conventional tissue culture based on Petri dish does not provide controlled microenvironment for the neurons and only provide qualitative information. In this review, we introduced the recent advances to generate in vitro model system that is capable of mimicking the niche of CNS injury and regeneration and also of testing candidate drugs. We reconstructed the microenvironment of the regeneration of CNS neurons after injury to provide as in vivo like model system where the soluble and surface bounded inhibitors for regeneration are presented in physiologically relevant manner using microfluidics and surface patterning methods. The ability to control factors and also to monitor them using live cell imaging allowed us to develop quantitative assays that can be used to compare various drug candidates and also to understand the basic mechanism behind nerve regeneration after injury.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Graduate Studies Abroad Fellowship (KRF-2005-215-D00030), WCU (World Class University) program through the Korea Research Foundation funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (R31-2008-000-10083-0), Pioneer Research Center Program (2011-0001643), Biomembrane Plasricity Research Center (2011-0000841) through the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Industrial Source Technology Development Program (10033657) of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) of Korea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Hyung Joon Kim

  2. BioMedNeuron Research Team, Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute, Daejeon, Korea

    Jeong Won Park

  3. World Class University (WCU) Program of Multiscale Mechanical Design, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

    Jae Woo Park, Jae Hwan Byun, Behrad Vahidi & Noo Li Jeon

  4. Department of Chemistry, Kongju National University, Kongju, Korea

    Seog Woo Rhee

  5. School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Room 1202 Building 301, San 56-1, Sillim-9 Dong, Kwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-744, Korea

    Noo Li Jeon

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  1. Hyung Joon Kim
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  2. Jeong Won Park
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  3. Jae Woo Park
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  7. Noo Li Jeon
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Correspondence to Noo Li Jeon.

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Associate Editor Jong Hwan Sung oversaw the review of this article.

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Kim, H.J., Park, J.W., Park, J.W. et al. Integrated Microfluidics Platforms for Investigating Injury and Regeneration of CNS Axons. Ann Biomed Eng 40, 1268–1276 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-012-0515-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-012-0515-6

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