Advances in microfluidic technologies allow for the development of increasingly bio-mimetic systems for cell and tissue culture. In turn, this allows us to probe mechanisms of development in a more ‘natural’ state, and produce improved in vitro platforms as both fertility preservation systems or disease models.
We have developed an ‘ovary-on-a-chip’ culture device which incorporates microfluidic fluid flow mimicking blood flow through an organ as well as the dynamic pulses of reproductive hormones ovarian cells and tissues are exposed to in the body. Using the domestic cat model, we are currently utilizing this system to better understand communication within ovarian follicles and, ultimately, how this contributes to egg quality.
Research papers from our group -
Storey KM, Gad A, Meyers MA, Coppini de Lima H, Tesfaye D, Songsasen N and Nagashima JB (2026) Examining Felis catus granulosa cell responses and extracellular vesicle characteristics under biomimetic gonadotropin stimulation in a microfluidic system. Front. Cell Dev. Biol. 14:1903837. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2026.1903837
Nagashima JB, El Assal R, Songsasen N, Demirci U. (2018) Evaluation of an ovary-on-a-chip in large mammalian models: Species specificity and influence of follicle isolation status. J Tissue Eng Regen Med. 12: e1926–e1935. https://doi.org/10.1002/term.2623
