Stretchable and Perfusable Microfluidic Device for Cell Barrier Model

This paper reports a device for applying cyclic stretch and fluidic shear stress to cells toward construction of a cell barrier model. The device is composed of a culture insert with a thin porous membrane and a microfluidic channel. By fixing the culture insert to the device mechanically, there were no liquid leakages when applying both cyclic stretch and fluidic shear stress. Moreover, the culture insert was detachable from the device, leading to the easy observation of cultured cells. As a results of device characterization, we confirmed that 10% cyclic stretch and about 20 dyne/cm
²
fluidic shear stress could be applied to the membrane. Therefore, we believe that our device will be a useful platform for evaluating cell response to mechanical stimulus as a cell barrier model.