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An Active Microscaffold System with Fluid Delivery and Stimulation/Recording Functionalities for Culturing 3-D Neuronal Networks

An Active Microscaffold System with Fluid Delivery and Stimulation/Recording Functionalities for Culturing 3-D Neuronal Networks

Laura Elizabeth Rowe

215 Pages

Directed by Dr. A. Bruno Frazier


An active microscaffold system with fluid delivery and electrical stimulation/recording functionalities for 3-D neuronal culture studies is presented. The microscaffolds presented in this dissertation consist of an array of microfabricated towers with integrated microfluidic channels, fluid ports, and electrodes. The microfluidic channels and ports allow for perfusion of nutrients, gas exchange, and biochemical control of the extracellular environment throughout the 3-D culture, while the electrodes allow for active stimulation/recording of the 3-D neuronal network. In essence, the microscaffold serves as an artificial circulatory system to enable 3-D in vitro growth and proliferation of re-aggregate neuronal cell cultures. Increased cell survival on microscaffolds with nutrient perfusion at 14 and 21 days in vitro (DIV) is presented. Additionally, the microtower scaffold is built upon a substrate that is compatible with the Multi Channel Systems preamplifier setup to enable electrical stimulation/recording of the cultured network in a 3-D mutilelectrode array (MEA) environment. Impedance measurements on the functioning microtower electrodes were obtained. The overall goal of this research was to develop a BioMEMS technology to provide neuroscientists with a better investigative tool for studying 3-D in vitro neuronal networks than is currently available.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:GATECH/oai:smartech.gatech.edu:1853/14542
Date08 March 2007
CreatorsRowe, Laura Elizabeth
PublisherGeorgia Institute of Technology
Source SetsGeorgia Tech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeDissertation

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