| 摘要 |
An in vitro biomechanical model used to applied hemodynamic (i.e., blood flow) patterns modeled after the human circulation to human/animal cells in culture. This model replicates hemodynamic flow patterns that are measured directly from the human circulation using non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging and translated to the motor that controls the rotation of the cone. The cone is submerged in fluid (i.e., cell culture media) and brought into close proximity to the surface of the cells that are grown on the plate surface. The rotation of the cone transduces momentum on the fluid and creates time-varying shear stresses on the plate or cellular surface. This model most closely mimics the physiological hemodynamic forces imparted on endothelial cells (cell lining blood vessels) in vivo and overcomes previous flow devices limited in applying more simplified nonphysiological flow patterns. Another aspect of this invention is directed to incorporate a transwell co-cultured dish. This permits two to three or more different cell types to be physically separated within the culture dish environment, while the inner cellular surface is exposed to the simulated hemodynamic flow patterns. Other significant modifications include custom in-flow and out-flow tubing to supply media, drugs, etc. separately and independently to both the inner and outer chambers of the coculture model. External components are used to control for physiological temperature and gas concentration. The physical separation of adherent cells by the artificial transwell membrane and the bottom of the Petri dish permits each cell layer, or surface to be separately isolated for an array of biological analyses (i.e., protein, gene, etc.). |
