Advances of 3D Cell Co-Culture Technology Based on Microfluidic Chips
Can Li,
Wei He,
Yihua Song,
Xia Zhang,
Jianfei Sun,
Zuojian Zhou
Affiliations
Can Li
Engineering Research Center of TCM Intelligence Health Service, School of Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Wei He
Department of Clinical Medical Engineering, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
Yihua Song
Engineering Research Center of TCM Intelligence Health Service, School of Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Xia Zhang
Engineering Research Center of TCM Intelligence Health Service, School of Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Jianfei Sun
State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Devices, School of Biological Sciences & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
Zuojian Zhou
Engineering Research Center of TCM Intelligence Health Service, School of Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Cell co-culture technology aims to study the communication mechanism between cells and to better reveal the interactions and regulatory mechanisms involved in processes such as cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and other cellular activities. This is achieved by simulating the complex organismic environment. Such studies are of great significance for understanding the physiological and pathological processes of multicellular organisms. As an emerging cell cultivation technology, 3D cell co-culture technology, based on microfluidic chips, can efficiently, rapidly, and accurately achieve cell co-culture. This is accomplished by leveraging the unique microchannel structures and flow characteristics of microfluidic chips. The technology can simulate the native microenvironment of cell growth, providing a new technical platform for studying intercellular communication. It has been widely used in the research of oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and other fields. In this review, we summarize and provide insights into the design of cell co-culture systems on microfluidic chips, the detection methods employed in co-culture systems, and the applications of these models.
