Design Scope
To present, little attention has been paid to the design of the parenchymal chamber associated with the biomimetic liver vascular network. It has been assumed that the chamber is simply a box filled with cells, but experimental evidence has shown that cell viability is low with such a simple chamber design. This project aims to optimize the parenchymal chamber design to insure adequate cell nutrition and product and waste exchange. The product will be a CAD drawing of the parenchymal chamber which can readily be machined into a mold for rapid chamber iteration using PDMS. The chamber will be designed using SolidWorks and modeled and optimized using CFD packages in the multiphysics software COMSOL. Modeling will show that adequate blood supply reaches the cells within the chamber and that a flow field develops inside the chamber which facilitates the exchange of nutrients and cellular products and removal of waste from the chamber and back into the underlying vascular network.
The parenchymal chamber is not a simple box. Microfluidic features on the roof (opposite to membrane) of the chamber will be designed to maximize cell growth surface area and to direct blood flow within the chamber. Placement of input channels will be varied in order to assess the effects of static vs. dynamic pressures on flow throughout the chamber.
COMSOL Applications
· CFD Modeling
SolidWorks Application:
· CAD drawing of parenchymal chamber
If time allows, the design will be realized using photolithography. Experiments will be conducted to provide support to the computational models. Experimental procedures may include:
· Injection of fluorescent microbeads
o View transport across membrane from vascular network into parenchymal chamber
o View transport across membrane from parenchymal chamber into vascular network
· Injection of fluorescent fluids
o View flow across membrane from vascular network into parenchymal chamber
· Injection of fluorescently labeled albumin
o View diffusion across membrane from parenchymal chamber into vascular network
Provide evidence that biological macromolecules produced by hepatocytes in the chamber will be transported into the blood stream.
The parenchymal chamber is not a simple box. Microfluidic features on the roof (opposite to membrane) of the chamber will be designed to maximize cell growth surface area and to direct blood flow within the chamber. Placement of input channels will be varied in order to assess the effects of static vs. dynamic pressures on flow throughout the chamber.
COMSOL Applications
· CFD Modeling
SolidWorks Application:
· CAD drawing of parenchymal chamber
If time allows, the design will be realized using photolithography. Experiments will be conducted to provide support to the computational models. Experimental procedures may include:
· Injection of fluorescent microbeads
o View transport across membrane from vascular network into parenchymal chamber
o View transport across membrane from parenchymal chamber into vascular network
· Injection of fluorescent fluids
o View flow across membrane from vascular network into parenchymal chamber
· Injection of fluorescently labeled albumin
o View diffusion across membrane from parenchymal chamber into vascular network
Provide evidence that biological macromolecules produced by hepatocytes in the chamber will be transported into the blood stream.