Microfluidic Integration of 3D Cell Spheroids for Advanced Drug Screening and Disease Modeling

Abstract

Cell spheroids are three-dimensional aggregates that accurately replicate the metabolic, proliferative, and arrangement of different cell types in-vitro. They have significant potential for scientific study, particularly in the fields of regenerative medicine, cancer research, and drug screening. The ability to accurately replicate the features of tumor environments is a distinctive attribute of cancer cell spheroids, making them extremely useful for controlled drug screening studies. This particular feature offers to improve the accuracy and relevancy of drug testing inside a controlled laboratory environment. When integrated with microfluidic platforms, these models offer significant advantages, such as the ability to precisely regulate the flow of media and effectively handle small amounts of cells and reagents during the culture process. The novel approach employed in our study is the cultivation of organoids within a microfluidic device. The system was designed and simulated using AUTOCAD and COMSOL software. The microwell microfluidic device was built using a combination of 3D printing and soft lithography techniques to achieve cost-effectiveness and convenient availability. The device was attached to a glass substrate by a photo-sensitized oxidation method. The implementation of this integrated platform exhibits the potential to enhance drug testing and disease modeling applications