Page 340 - Advances in Biomechanics and Tissue Regeneration

338 16. ON THE SIMULATION OF ORGAN-ON-CHIP CELL PROCESSES

1.0e+06
950,000
900,000
850,000
P1
800,000
750,000

6.9e+05
(A)

1.0e+06
950,000
900,000
850,000
800,000
P1
750,000
6.9e+05
(B)

1.0e+06
950,000
900,000
850,000
P1
800,000
750,000
6.9e+05

(C)
FIG. 16.11 Evolution of alive cells in the culture chamber (in cell/mL). (A) t ¼ 0 s; (B) t ¼ 42 h; (C) t ¼ 70 h.

16.7 CONCLUSIONS

The combination of organ-on-chip devices and computational models is a perfect option to set up new complex
biological models that include diffusion, advection, chemotaxis, mechanotaxis, electrotaxis, thermotaxis, proliferation,
differentiation, and cell death as well as the interaction of the different cellular phenotypes with chemical species (such
as nutrients or chemical cues) and ECM remodeling. Experimental campaigns are needed in order to define and cal-
ibrate proper mathematical models, but promising results have been obtained in the study of in vitro GBM models.
The main contribution of this work is the presentation of a framework integrating in vitro experiments in 3D bio-
mimetic platforms, able to capture the enormous complexity of tumoral microenvironment biophysics, with in silico
simulation models, which serve to extrapolate the conclusions to different pictures and to help the researcher in new
hypotheses formulations and experimental campaign designs. Microfluidic devices offer flexible and realistic exper-
imentation. The presented mathematical model is rich enough to capture all TME physics with a variable degree of
complexity.

II. MECHANOBIOLOGY AND TISSUE REGENERATION