Microfluidic hydrogel hanging-drop network for high-resolution microscopy of 3D microtissues

We present a microfluidic chip for the culturing of 3D microtissues under varying perfusion conditions. The microtissues are individually immobilized at the bottom of hanging hydrogel microdrops and are located at defined positions inside the culturing chambers of the microfluidic network. The precision in positioning and the stability of the microtissues over time renders the platform ideal for multi-position, high-resolution time-lapse imaging and techniques involving cell tracking. At the same time, fabrication and operation of the chip is simple and robust and does not require dedicated equipment.