A microphysiological system (MPS) holds a great promise for drug screening and toxicological testing as an alternative to animal models. However, this platform has several issues in terms of the materials used (e.g., polydimethylsiloxane), such as the absorbance of tested drug candidates and fluorescent dyes by the material, as well as the effect on cultured cellular status, thus misleading the results obtained from cell assays and fabrication processes. Hence, to eliminate the issues mentioned above, we developed a cyclo olefin polymer (COP)-based MPS via photobonding process using vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), named COP-VUV-MPS. COP-VUV-MPS showed better chemical resistance and avoided molecule absorption. COP-VUV-MPS could maintain the stemness of environmentally sensitive human-induced pluripotent stem cells without causing undesired cellular phenotypes and gene expression. These results suggested that COP-VUV-MPS might be broadly used for the advancement of MPS and applications in drug development and in vitro toxicological testing.
Cyclo olefin polymer-based solvent-free mass-productive microphysiological systems
