Volume 7 Issue 7, July 2012

Schematic diagram of a three-channel microfluidic device used for cell culture. Hydrogels (red) can be incorporated between microfluidic channels, enabling simultaneous culture of multiple cell types on or within the hydrogels. Complex and fully controlled culture microenvironments can be reconstructed in vitro, permitting the analysis of chemical gradients, shear stress, interstitial flow, cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. From the protocol by Shin et al. 10.1038/nprot.2012.051.