Sensor integrated microfluidic platform for studying the effects of toxicological compounds on the human respiratory system

Young researchers 2021-2023
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The goal of the research is to develop a modular microfluidic platform seeded with lung cell cultures to mimic the alveolar-capillary barrier and integrate the chip with sensors allowing real-time monitoring of the in-chip environment for the investigation of the effects of toxicological compounds as a model application

There is an ongoing literary review of the work and new developments of advanced scientific research groups in this area. Also, the first prototype of a microfluidic device was developed, which showed biocompatibility with cell cultures, functionality in a flowing medium, and successful use for growing liver cells (for pilot experiments) and lung cells (for end-use applications). For this, detailed theoretical studies and many experimental works were carried out to determine the optimal material for the manufacture of a microfluidic device, to study the physical and biological parameters of the microfluidic chip, such as the thickness of the coated material, biocompatibility, optical transparency, gas permeability, the volume fraction of air in the microchannel, and other hydraulic parameters of fluid flow in the developed device. Thirdly, based on the results obtained, 2 scientific articles were published in the international journals Polymers, impact factor 4.32 and Cell Proliferation impact factor 6.83, and 2 extended abstracts at the international conference MicroTAS 2021.