Reconstruction of vascular niche of neural stem cells using perfusable microfluidic device

In brain, vascular niche is well known to function for regulation of proliferation and cell fate decision of neural stem cells (NSCs). The NSC niche is composed of vascular endothelial cells (VECs), and shear stress is known as a key factor on activity of the VECs. To reconstruct the NSC niche, perfusable coculture system is needed. Here we developed perfusable microfluidic device for coculture of NSCs and VECs under shear stress mimicking physiological flow. We found that NSCs and VECs were activated under the shear stress, and highly expressed NSC-associated genes and shear stress responsive genes, respectively. The finding indicates that the culture system using the microfluidic device can reproduce NSC niche for research on development, homeostasis and regeneration of central nervous system (CNS).