Molekularbiologie: Open Access

Development and Applications of Microfluidic Devices for Cell Culture in Cell Biology

Abstract

Linglu Yi, Jin-Ming Lin

Development of microfluidic culture technology combined with tissue engineering catalyzes the progress in study of cell biology. These tools will promote the understanding of physiological and pathological changes. Cancer cells and stem cells are sensitive to their surroundings, thus could be better explored by controllable microfluidic devices. In this review, we describe the ways to control cell microenvironment and explain how the influencing factors influence cellular behaviors, then present microfluidic-chip-based exemplary applications for cancer models and stem cell differentiation.