A Microfluidic Device to Apply Uniform Shear Stress to the Cells

The invention of microfluidic devices has led to a dramatic change in engineering, medicine, and biomedicine. Microfluidic devices provide the conditions for cell culture in real body dimensions. In the present study, a microfluidic chip was fabricated that is capable of keeping cells alive under dynamic flow conditions. This microchip consists of a microchannel in which cells are cultured. Different amounts of shear stress are exerted to the cells by passing culture media. The results of the flow field simulation show that in the flow rate of 1 to 100 microliters per minute, the shear stress distribution is uniform. In this range of flow rate, shear stress varies from 0.005434 to 0.5432dyn/cm2, which is within the allowable shear stress for cells. Large shear stresses, such as a flow rate of 1000 microliters per minute, cause the cell wall to rupture, and eventually disintegration. The experimental results confirm that the growth and proliferation of cells vary for different amounts of growth factor as a chemical factor. The cells filled the microchannel for a growth factor of 15% on the fifth day of culture, while without growth factor, the microchannel was filled on the seventh day. The results indicate that this microchip can maintain cells alive for more than a week. Also, by adjusting the flow, different amounts of shear stress can be applied to the cells. Therefore, this microchip can perform various cellular tests to investigate the effect of shear stress on the cells.