3D in vitro reconstruction of synthetic liver sinusoids in a microfluidic cell culture device

Background: The still existing high drug failure rate in clinical trials prompted us to increase the predictability of toxicity assays. Especially the commonly used 2D static hepatocyte monoculture conditions lead to a rapid loss of the typical hepatocyte morphology and the expression of metabolizing enzymes. These are our reasons to develop the HepaChip® microfluidic cell culture device combining a microfluidic perfusion with a liver-like cellular arrangement. The containing 3D artificial liver sinusoids are composed of endothelial cells and hepatocytes to maintain the liver specific functionality for a long pe…