AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Biomaterial Interfaces Thursday Sessions
       Session BI-ThA

Invited Paper BI-ThA7
Microfluidic Neuronal Culture Device for Neuroscience Research

Thursday, November 3, 2005, 4:00 pm, Room 311

Session: Bionanotechnology
Presenter: N.L. Jeon, University of California, Irvine
Correspondent: Click to Email

This presentation will describe a novel microfabricated neuronal culture device and its application in Alzheimerâ?Ts Disease and Axonal Regeneration research. The device combines microfabrication and surface micropatterning approaches to create a multi-compartment neuronal culturing platform that can be used in a number of neuroscience applications. A replica-molded PDMS is placed on a tissue culture dish (polystyrene) forming two or more fluidically isolated compartments. These compartments are separated by a physical barrier in which a number of micron-size grooves are embedded to allow growth of neurites across the barriers while maintaining fluidic isolation. Cells are plated into the somal (cell body) compartment and after 3-4 days, axons extend into the adjacent compartment via the grooves. We have successfully used this device to culture primary rat cortical and hippocampal neurons for upto 3 weeks. We demonstrate the ability to maintain fluidically isolated compartment and, thus, expose localized areas of neurons to insults applied in soluble form. We also use microfluidics-compatible surface micropatterning approach to facilitate identification and visualization of neurons. The ability to direct sites of neuronal attachment and orientation of axon outgrowth by micropatterning techniques, combined with fluidically isolated compartments within the culture area offer significant advantages over standard open culture methods and other conventional methods for manipulating distinct neuronal microenvironments.