Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Microfluidic Devices for Angiogenesis
Vernella Vickerman, Choong Kim and Roger D. Kamm
Abstract Cell culture has played a central role in developing our understanding of
angiogenesis, and a wide variety of culture systems have been adapted for this
purpose. Despite the value of this approach, many of the systems employed have
suffered from a lack of precise control over culture conditions, an inability to
visualize the process of angiogenesis in real time, and limitations in the ability to
replicate the in vivo situation in which multiple cell types interact over distances of
100s of microns. With the advent of microfluidics, many of these obstacles can be
overcome, and in vitro experiments can be produced with closer relevance to the
in vivo situation. In this chapter, we describe the evolution of these microfluidic
devices in the context of angiogenesis and describe current capabilities.
1 Introduction
Angiogenesis is important in health and disease, as has been abundantly demon-
strated in other chapters of this text. During embryonic development, for example,
angiogenesis facilitates the expansion of the primitive vascular plexus, thus
meeting the demands for oxygen and nutrient requirements during embryogenesis.
In healthy adults physiologic angiogenesis occurs during endometrial and pla-
cental formation, wound granulation after injury and hair follicle vascularization
[ 1 ]. Furthermore, angiogenesis has been implicated in and directly linked to the
pathogenesis of a growing list of diseases [ 2 ]. Given the far-reaching impact, it is
not surprising that the radical theory of angiogenesis proposed by Folkman during
V. Vickerman C. Kim R. D. Kamm (
)
Mechanical Engineering and Biological Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
e-mail: rdkamm@mit.edu
&
Search WWH ::




Custom Search