VenaFluxmicrofluidic chipApplication in human vascular research

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The human circulatory system contains many different types of blood vessels that transport blood cells, nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hormones to various parts of the body. Blood vessels also play an important role in thrombosis, inflammation, atherosclerosis and other diseases. With the development of microfluidic technology, more and more researchers are attempting to simulate human blood vessels in vitro for the mechanism and drug research of related diseases. The VenaFlux platform is a microfluidic integrated system developed by Cellix specifically for vascular research, including Starter, Pro, and Elite versions. This article will briefly introduce the working principle and application fields of the platform applied to human vascular research.

IIThe working principle of VenaFlux

How does VenaFlux simulate human blood vessels?

The force exerted by blood on the blood vessel wall during its flow is called shear stress, measured in force area units (usually dyne/cm)²）The shear stress varies in different blood vessels. The microchannels of Vena8 Fluoro+and Vena8 Endothelial+biochips are similar to arteries, veins, and capillaries, which help researchers study the effects of blood and coagulation factors under in vitro shear stress.

To simulate physiological shear stress in vivo, Cellix utilizes precise microfluidic Mirus Evo and ExiGo pumps to deliver cell samples or whole blood into microchannels of Vena8 Fluoro+or Vena8 Endothelial+biochips with constant or variable shear stress.

Biochips are placed in temperature controlled microenvironment chambers to simulate physiological conditions. This microenvironment chamber is located on a platform with an inverted microscope equipped with a digital camera, and the microscope and camera perform automatic image/video acquisition.

Image Pro Premier is a cell analysis software program that can analyze images captured by microscopes and digital cameras. With this software, the number of individual thrombi or aggregates in the chip can be measured, and it can also be used to analyze the rolling speed, adhesion, and migration of white blood cells. Here are some research examples:

Analysis of Thrombosis Formation on Fibrous Collagen Coated Microtubes of Vena8 Fluoro+Biochip Using Image Pro Premie

Analysis of adhesion of THP-1 cells to VCAM coated microtubes on Vena8 Fluoro+chip using Image Pro Premier

Analyzing the Rolling Velocity of THP-1 Cells on E-Selectin Coated Microtubes of Vena8 Fluoro+Chip Using Image Pro Premier

IIIVenaFluxApplication Fields

Thrombosis:

Often in the human body, when blood vessels are damaged, platelets and fibrin form blood clots to prevent massive bleeding. However, sometimes even when blood vessels are not damaged, blood clots can still form, which has aroused researchers' interest in the mechanism and prevention of thrombosis. The formation of blood clots is a multi-step process that includes platelet adhesion, activation, and platelet aggregation. To study platelet adhesion, aggregation, and thrombus formation, it is necessary to conduct it under shear flow conditions.

Inflammation:

Generally speaking, the classic three-step leukocyte adsorption cascade includes cell rolling, cell adhesion, and cell migration. Cell rolling is a selective process mediated by E-selectin, which recognizes and binds to receptors present on certain leukocyte surface proteins, causing cells to roll along the endothelial surface of blood vessels. As the inflammatory response progresses, chemokines released by damaged tissue enter blood vessels and activate rolling white blood cells, which tightly bind to the endothelial surface. Cell adhesion is an important step before migrating to inflammatory tissue. Cell migration is the movement of cells upon receiving migration signals or sensing gradients of certain substances.

Atherosclerosis:

Atherosclerosis is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases, which can lead to many diseases, including stroke or coronary artery disease.

4Introduction to multiple versions of VenaFlux

VenaFlux StarterA PC equipped with VenaFluxAssay software is connected to the Mirus Evo pump via USB. The Mirus Evo pump tube kit connects the Mirus Evo pump to MultiFlow8, which is then connected to the microchip via a connecting tube. The biochar is placed in a microenvironment chamber on the microscope stage (VenaFlux Starter does not include the microscope).

VenaFlux ProOn the basis of Starter accessories, paired with Axio Vert A1 microscope and digital camera, the working procedure is shown in the following figure:

VenaFlux Elite：On the basis of Starter accessories, it is paired with Axio Observer 7 microscope and digital camera. The physical product image is shown in the picture:

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