Microfluidics has gained relevance in cell biology due to its ability to replicate a more physiologically relevant microenvironment for cell and tissue assays. In this light, one of the microenvironments where flow is more prominent is inside blood vessels. Cells on the walls of blood vessels are subjected to elevated shear stress due to the blood flow rates.

Our blood-vessel-on-chip pack is designed to replicate the relevant flow rates found inside blood vessels with the flexibility of using the chip of your preference so you can better reproduce the tissue microenvironment of your interest. A pressure-driven flow controller, combined with a flow sensor, can provide a range of flow rates (from 0.5µl to 5ml/min) and flow profiles (linear, pulsatile, stepwise, etc.) to mimic the pathophysiological conditions found in the vasculature.

The recirculation bridge is a set of arranged valves that allows the recycling of the media, enabling its enrichment with metabolites, the preservation of conditioned media containing bioactive molecules, and the economy of large volumes of media in long-term experiments.

The level sensors, integrated into the smart culture tube rack, automate the experiment setup and changes between reservoirs. Also, in case of leakage, they stop the flow before the reservoirs become empty and air can reach the cells.