Designing of an Advanced Compression Bioreactor with an Implementation of a Low-Cost Controlling System Connected to a Mobile Application

Gözde Dursun,Muhammad Umer,Bernd Markert,Marcus Stoffel

doi:10.3390/pr9060915

Abstract

(1) Background: Bioreactors mimic the natural environment of cells and tissues by providing a controlled micro-environment. However, their design is often expensive and complex. Herein, we have introduced the development of a low-cost compression bioreactor which enables the application of different mechanical stimulation regimes to in vitro tissue models and provides the information of applied stress and strain in real-time. (2) Methods: The compression bioreactor is designed using a mini-computer called Raspberry Pi, which is programmed to apply compressive deformation at various strains and frequencies, as well as to measure the force applied to the tissue constructs. Besides this, we have developed a mobile application connected to the bioreactor software to monitor, command, and control experiments via mobile devices. (3) Results: Cell viability results indicate that the newly designed compression bioreactor supports cell cultivation in a sterile environment without any contamination. The developed bioreactor software plots the experimental data of dynamic mechanical loading in a long-term manner, as well as stores them for further data processing. Following in vitro uniaxial compression conditioning of 3D in vitro cartilage models, chondrocyte cell migration was altered positively compared to static cultures. (4) Conclusion: The developed compression bioreactor can support the in vitro tissue model cultivation and monitor the experimental information with a low-cost controlling system and via mobile application. The highly customizable mold inside the cultivation chamber is a significant approach to solve the limited customization capability of the traditional bioreactors. Most importantly, the compression bioreactor prevents operator- and system-dependent variability between experiments by enabling a dynamic culture in a large volume for multiple numbers of in vitro tissue constructs.

Highlights

Tissue engineering approaches have been recently applied to the design of in vitro models, which are employed to explore fundamental aspects of cell functions and to identify cellular mechanisms involved in wound healing, aging processes or disease progression
Mechanical forces that cells are subjected to their natural micro-environment must be considered while designing experiments with the in vitro models [1]. This fact led researchers to develop bioreactor systems which are developed to mimic the physiological environment of tissues and help to investigate the gap between cellular processes and mechanical loading experienced by cells
This study shows the further development of compression bioreactor in a large volume which provides homogeneous uniaxial compression on the multiple in vitro models at the same time and thereby prevents operator and system dependent variability

Summary

Introduction

Tissue engineering approaches have been recently applied to the design of in vitro models, which are employed to explore fundamental aspects of cell functions and to identify cellular mechanisms involved in wound healing, aging processes or disease progression. Mechanical forces that cells are subjected to their natural micro-environment must be considered while designing experiments with the in vitro models [1] This fact led researchers to develop bioreactor systems which are developed to mimic the physiological environment of tissues and help to investigate the gap between cellular processes and mechanical loading experienced by cells. The usage of bioreactors confers an advantage of culturing the in vitro models in a more realistic and controlled environment than a simple in vitro conventional culture. There are common principles that should be considered such as easy assembly, sterility, biocompatible material choice, non-toxicity, and usage of pumps or actuators [3]. The incorporation of these principles makes tissue engineering bioreactor systems more expensive and complex. There is a huge demand for the design of customizable, low-cost, programmable bioreactor systems with force measurement ability

Methods

Results

Conclusion