Design and Fabrication of the Vertical-Flow Bioreactor for Compaction Hepatocyte Culture in Drug Testing Application

The perfusion culture of primary hepatocytes has been widely adopted to build bioreactors for various applications. As a drug testing platform, a unique vertical-flow bioreactor (VfB) array was found to create the compaction culture of hepatocytes which mimicked the mechanic microenvironment in vivo...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Liang Zhu, Zhenfeng Wang, Huanming Xia, Hanry Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
Series:Biosensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/11/5/160
Description
Summary:The perfusion culture of primary hepatocytes has been widely adopted to build bioreactors for various applications. As a drug testing platform, a unique vertical-flow bioreactor (VfB) array was found to create the compaction culture of hepatocytes which mimicked the mechanic microenvironment in vivo while maintaining the 3D cell morphology in a 2D culture setup and enhancing the hepatic functions for a sustained culture. Here, we report the methodology in designing and fabricating the VfB to reach ideal bioreactor requirements, optimizing the VfB as a prototype for drug testing, and to demonstrate the enhanced hepatic function so as to demonstrate the performance of the bioreactor. This device enables the modular, scalable, and manufacturable construction of a functional drug testing platform through the sustained maintenance of model cells.
ISSN:2079-6374