RECAPITULATING THE VASCULAR MICROENVIRONMENT IN MICROFLUIDIC PLATFORMS

The vasculature is regulated by various chemical and mechanical factors. Reproducing these factors in vitro is crucial for the understanding of the mechanisms underlying vascular diseases and the development of new therapeutics and delivery techniques. Microfluidic technology offers opportunities to precisely control the level, duration and extent of various cues, providing unprecedented capabilities to recapitulate the vascular microenvironment. In the first part of this article, we review existing microfluidic technology that is capable of controlling both chemical and mechanical factors regulating the vascular microenvironment. In particular, we focus on micro-systems developed for controlling key parameters such as oxygen tension, co-culture, shear stress, cyclic stretch and flow patterns. In the second part of this article, we highlight recent advances that resulted from the use of these microfluidic devices for vascular research.