Figure 3 ∣. Engineered bone marrow on-a-chip replicates function of bone marrow in vivo.
a, A schematic representing the process for developing the engineered bone marrow (eBM) on-a-chip. Scaffolds are loaded with bone inducing materials and implanted subcutaneously into mice, where they are cultured in vivo for 8 weeks before removal and placement into a microfluidic device. b, The eBM after culture in vivo has similar structure to native mouse femur. Scale bars are 500 μm. c, An image of the microfluidic device loaded with the eBM for study in vitro. Scale bar is 2 mm. d, The eBM exhibited similar blood cell distribution as the mouse femur bone marrow (mBM) at the time of excision, continuing to mimic mBM over 7 days. e, The eBM can act as a model for radiation toxicity, typically studied in live animals, more effectively than stroma-supported culture of BM cells (Dish). Four days after exposure to radiation, a significant, dose-dependent reduction in lymphoid cells in the eBM, was found, similar to the trend observed in the BM of live, irradiated mice. Adapted from ref. 30, Nature Publishing Group (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e).