Microfluidic Systems for Assisted Reproductive Technologies: Advantages and Potential Applications
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Online ISSN 2212-5469
REVIEW ARTICLE
Microfluidic Systems for Assisted Reproductive Technologies: Advantages and Potential Applications Russel C. Sequeira1
•
Tracy Criswell1 • Anthony Atala1 • James J. Yoo1
Received: 12 June 2020 / Revised: 16 September 2020 / Accepted: 16 October 2020 Ó The Korean Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Society 2020
Abstract Microfluidic technologies have emerged as a powerful tool that can closely replicate the in-vivo physiological conditions of organ systems. Assisted reproductive technology (ART), while being able to achieve successful outcomes, still faces challenges related to technical error, efficiency, cost, and monitoring/assessment. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the uses of microfluidic devices in the culture, maintenance and study of ovarian follicle development for experimental and therapeutic applications. We discuss existing microfluidic platforms for oocyte and sperm selection and maintenance, facilitation of fertilization by in-vitro fertilization/intracytoplastimc sperm injection, and monitoring, selection and maintenance of resulting embryos. Furthermore, we discuss the possibility of future integration of these technologies onto a single platform and the limitations facing the development of these systems. In spite of these challenges, we envision that microfluidic systems will likely evolve and inevitably revolutionize both fundamental, reproductive physiology/toxicology research as well as clinically applicable ART. Keywords Microfluidics In-vitro oocyte culture In-vitro sperm culture Assisted reproductive technology Ovarian follicle development
1 Introduction Microfluidic systems, or micro-physiological systems (MPS), precisely position collections of cells in a threedimensional (3D) manner that mimics the structure and function of organs in the body [1]. The overall objective of these systems is to model the physiological aspects of naturally occurring functional organ units when exposed to pharmaco-therapeutics, hormones, cell signaling molecules and various biomechanical stressors [2]. These devices have wide variability in their design, organization, and size depending on the experimental objective and the organ or tissue that is being modeled. While some devices allow for
& James J. Yoo [email protected] 1
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
self-assembly of organoids, others provide a scaffolding biomaterial matrix for cells to self-incorporate and proliferate in a structurally defined way [3]. The complexity of such designs increases significantly when specific cell types need to be positioned relative to each other in spatially defined compartments to accurately recapitulate the functional unit of the organ, such as in the kidney nephron or liver sinusoid [3]. Furthermore, the range of the overall platform size can vary from the use of small cell compartments of a few hundred micrometers in size to scaledup des
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