Advancing tissue engineering through a portable perfusion and incubation system

Authors

Angie Zhu, Section of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Emmett Reid, Section of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Tilak Jain, 37degrees, 111 North Wabash Ave. Ste. 100, Chicago, IL 60602, USA.
Amatullah Mir, Section of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Usmaan Siddiqi, Section of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Olivia Dunne, Section of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Narutoshi Hibino, Advocate Health - MidwestFollow

Recommended Citation

Zhu A, Reid E, Jain T, et al. Advancing Tissue Engineering Through a Portable Perfusion and Incubation System. Bioengineering (Basel). 2025;12(5):554. Published 2025 May 21. doi:10.3390/bioengineering12050554

Affiliations

Advocate Children's Hospital Oak Lawn

Abstract

Perfusion offers unique benefits to tissue-engineered systems, enhancing oxygen and nutrient transport, which improves tissue formation and growth. In this study, we present a novel and integrated portable perfusion system. Weighing < 10 lbs, the system can maintain continuous flow in a standard incubation environment (37 °C, 5% CO2), effectively functioning as a portable perfusion and tissue culturing system. To characterize the perfusion system's flow parameters, we measured the volumetric flow rate across a range of pressures and found that the system could achieve flow velocities between 1.69 to 4.6 μm/s, which is similar to in vivo interstitial flow. Computational fluid dynamics revealed fully developed laminar flow within the sample-containing region of the perfusion system, helping ensure even fluid and nutrient distribution. To study the system's compatibility with live tissues, bioengineered tissue patches were created and perfused. After 24 h of perfusion, no significant difference in cell viability was observed between the perfused samples and static controls, indicating no adverse effects on cell health. Perfusion also facilitated enhanced spatial organization within tissue patches, reducing the inter-spheroids distance. Furthermore, perfusion strengthened the tissue matrix and reduced the degradation rate of the hydrogel scaffold. Complemented by its ability to provide mobile perfusion and incubation, this novel integrated portable perfusion system holds promise for promoting tissue maturation and advancing tissue bioengineering studies.

Type

Article

PubMed ID

40428173