FORMING GEL STRUCTURES USING MICROFLUIDIC CHANNELS

摘要

Articles and methods for forming structures in microfluidic channels are provided. Methods described herein may include the use of spatially-defined flows of fluid within microchannels to form portions of gel (e.g., gel structures) inside the microchannels. The gel structures may be formed by flowing, e.g., laminarly, one or more streams of fluid in a microfluidic channel, at least one of the streams including a gel precursor. The stream(s) of gel precursor can be polymerized to form one or more gel structures by various methods such as by application of heat. Advantageously, the dimensions of the gel structures may be varied, for example, by applying different flow rates to the fluid streams, choosing different viscosities of the fluids, and/or by varying the dimensions of the microchannel. Using such methods, different configurations of gel structures in microfluidic channels can be formed. Gel structures having different components encapsulated therein may also be formed. Articles and methods described herein may involve, in some embodiments, i) culturing cells within or on surfaces of the gel portions, ii) patterning different types of cells on or in adjacent gel structures, and/or iii) applying gradients of soluble factors across the cell-containing gel portions. Such structures may be used for studying intercellular communication between cells cultured within biologically-derived, 3-D matrices of microscopic size.