Advances in microfabrication and biomaterials have enabled the development of microfluidic chips for studying tissue and organ models. While these platforms have been developed primarily for modeling human diseases, they are also used to uncover cellular and molecular mechanisms through in vitro studies, especially in the neurovascular system, where physiological mechanisms and three-dimensional (3D) architecture are difficult to reconstruct via conventional assays. An extracellular matrix (ECM) model with a stable structure possessing the ability to mimic the natural extracellular environment of the cell efficiently is useful for tissue engineering applications. Conventionally used techniques for this purpose, for example, Matrigels, have drawbacks of owning complex fabrication procedures, in some cases not efficient enough in terms of functionality and expenses. In this project, we developed a neural-tissue-on-a-chip device with three-dimensional (3D) micro-patterned neurovascular constructs that may be subjected to flow through microfluidic channels. We proposed a fabrication protocol for GelMA hydrogel, which has shown structural stability and the ability to imitate the natural environment of the cell accurately, inside a microfluidic chip co-culturing of two human cell lines (HU-VEC and SH-SHY5Y). Briefly, GelMA was deposited inside the microfluidic setup using photopolymerization and investigated for its effects on cellular viability. The transparent surface of the polydimethylsiloxane in the microfluidic chip allowed the photoinitiation process through a light source. First, GelMA was synthesized, and its properties, such as surface morphology and structure, were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry, field emission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. In addition, the swelling behavior of the GelMA in the microfluidic chip was imaged, as swelling is one of the main factors for a cell-encapsulated hydrogel for continuous nutrition to stay viable for longer durations. We disseminated these results via two peer-reviewed journal articles and a website, and the commercialization potential of our studies by attending an incubation and entrepreneurship studies program at Koc University.
