Image-Guided, Laser-Based Fabrication of Hydrogel-Embedded Microfluidic Networks
John H. Slater, Associate Professor, Dept of Biomedical Engineering, University of Delaware
We demonstrate fabrication of three-dimensional, biomimetic microfluidic networks embedded in hydrogels by combining laser-induced hydrogel degradation with image-guided laser control. Generation of simple arteriole-like networks, high-density, microvascular networks that recapitulate the architecture of in vivo vasculature, and multiple independent networks that fill the same hydrogel volume but never connect is demonstrated. Recapitulating in vivo-like fluid flow and transport using biomimetic microfluidic networks may prove advantageous in fabricating advanced in vitro tissue models.
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