Direct laser writing for cardiac tissue engineering: a microfluidic heart on a chip with integrated transducers

We have designed and fabricated a microfluidic-based platform for sensing mechanical forces generated by cardiac microtissues in highly-controlled microenvironment. Our fabrication approach combines Direct Laser Writing (DLW) lithography with soft lithography. At the center of our is cylindrical volume, divided into two chambers polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) shell. Cells are seeded inner chamber from top opening, microtissue assembles onto tailor-made attachment sites on walls The outer electrically fluidically isolated one shell actuation purposes. Externally applied pressure waves to deform parts thus allow us exert time-dependent microtissue. Oscillatory similarly change volume chamber, resulting measurable electrical conductance changes. used this study response derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) under prescribed loading pacing.