3D Microfluidic Platform for in vitro Hematopoietic Stem Cell (HSC) Culture

To address the Chemical/Bio Defense (CBD) need for in vitro models suitable for high-throughput screening of drug toxicities in human tissues, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new three-dimensional (3D) Microfluidic Platform for in-vitro Hematopoietic Stem Cell (HSC) Culture (3D-Mic-Stem). This proposed system is based on a 3D microfluidic design that uses HSCs for assaying high-throughput drug toxicities. The innovation in the 3D microfluidic implementation for stem cell culture and accompanying mitochondrial functionality assay, with the toxicity assay, will enable the system to validate precisely the drug screening process. As a result, this system offers high-throughput screening adaptability, as well as amenability to integration into the system biology architecture. In addition, the human HSCs represent tissue types relevant to toxicological end points, directly addressing the CBD/TMTI program’s requirements. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of 3D-Mic-Stem for drug toxicity screening by designing a proof-of-concept study of the 3D microfluidic culture of HSCs. In Phase II, POC plans to develop initial proof-of-concept studies using drugs with known toxicities and interactions as validation.