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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 May 27.
Published in final edited form as: J Phys D Appl Phys. 2020 Apr 2;53(22):224004. doi: 10.1088/1361-6463/ab78d4

Figure 4.

Figure 4.

Microfluidic devices for applying solid and fluid forces to cells. (a) Patterning fluidic channels with dimensions similar to or smaller than a single cell enables the investigation of how ECM architecture influences cell migration. For example, patterning vertical pillars with gap sizes smaller than the nucleus enabled the observation that tumor cell migration through confined environments can lead to nuclear rupture and DNA damage (modified from [92]. (b) Introducing biomaterials with controlled mechanical properties into microfluidic platforms allows investigation into the interplay of matrix architecture and mechanics. Using hydrogels with controlled degradability in a microfluidic device with elucidated the role of matrix degradation in angiogenic sprouting (modified from [70]). (c) Platforms for applying strain to cell culture substrates have been developed using soft lithography to pattern compliant devices. In a PDMS-based microfluidic model of the lung, endothelial cells were found to align orthogonal to the direction of cyclic strain [100]. (d) By incorporating flexible substrates and applying pneumatic pressure in microfluidic platforms, the effects of compressive forces on cells can be investigated. For example, a multichannel microfabricated device was used to generate pressures up to 15 psi to investigate the effects of compressive forces on the cytoskeleton and nucleus (modified from [172]). (e) Fluid flow through microfabricated channels imparts fluid shear stress on cells cultured on the channel walls. Such platforms have been used to investigate the effects of fluid shear stress on endothelial cytoskeletal dynamics and barrier function (modified from [17,45]). (f) Using microfluidics to apply pressure gradients across hydrogels enables investigation of how fluid forces from interstitial flow impacts cells cultured within the hydrogel. By applying interstitial flow to endothelial cells in a microfluidic device, it was found that flow and VEGF signaling can drive angiogenic sprouting (modified from [162]).