Student: Yuyuan Zhou
Project: Drug Evaluation on a Biomimetic Microfluidic Device
View: Research Poster (PDF) | Presentation (YouTube)
Department: Bioengineering
Advisor: Yaling Liu
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) cell culture is not ideal for drug screening, as it can’t accurately mimic the physiological tumor cell microenvironment. Thus, a drug-screening system which can better mimics the microenvironment of in vivo tumors is necessary. Here, we present a biomimicking bilayer microfluidic device that can facilitate antitumor drug screening. The microfluidic device consists of two polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pieces with channels and a semipermeable membrane which allow nutrients transport between two channels. To mimic the vessel-tumor interface, the endothelial cells (EC) are seeded onto the membrane through the apical channel, and the tumor spheroid-laden Matrigel is seeded into the basal channel. Paclitaxel efficacy was evaluated on the developed model. Fluorescent images and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were employed to determine the drug effect on the tumor spheroids. The results indicate that the proposed bilayer microfluidic device in combination with confocal and OCT optical characterization provide an efficient platform for antitumor drug testing.
About Yuyuan Zhou
Yuyuan Zhou is a 4th year bioengineering Ph.D. student at Lehigh University; his current research concerns the effect of biomembrane properties, such as adhesion and fusion, on nanomedicine and drug delivery.
Zhou's experiences at Lehigh University have taught him how to effectively collaborate with the people from various fields, and the value of efficient communication and organization.