This technology is a bioreactor platform that facilitates in vitro growth of multiple, interacting microtissue types for drug screening, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine applications.
Bioreactors are commonly used in tissue engineering applications to facilitate production of human tissues for disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine. However, existing bioreactor systems typically utilize a two-dimensional approach that does not adequately recapitulate physiologically relevant conditions. Additionally, these systems are low-throughput and typically do not facilitate simultaneous growth of multiple, interacting tissues. As such, there is a need for a high-throughput bioreactor that can support the growth of three-dimensional microtissues in a physiologically relevant environment.
This technology is a bioreactor platform for engineering multiple micro-tissue types that can interact through microfluidic channels. The system also enables electrical and mechanical control over the tissues’ growth environments, facilitating production of individual, specific microtissues. Unlike existing bioreactors, this technology produces three-dimensional tissues that are functionally and phenotypically similar to human tissues, and thus are suitable for drug screening, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine applications. Additionally, the system is compatible with standard 24-, 48-, and 96-well plates. and utilizes less culture media than existing bioreactors for cost-effective production of microtissues. By providing a high-throughput and controllable environment for production of diverse tissue types, this technology will enable improved in vitro disease modeling and drug screening.
A prototype of this technology was used to successfully generate human bone-like tissue from human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells.
Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Ph.D.
IR CU17074
Licensing Contact: Cynthia Lang
