M. Zakharova MSc (Mariia)

Engineering & Materials Science

# Astrocytes
# Blood-Brain Barrier
# Cell Culture
# Membranes
# Polydimethylsiloxane
# Pore Size
# Tissue

Medicine & Life Sciences

# Blood-Brain Barrier

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS), Biomedical and Environmental Sensorsystems (BIOS)

Multiplexed Organ on a Chip

The main limitation of the current drug testing is the lack of appropriate models that adequately mimic the human environment. Conventional cell culturing and animal models are not suitable for correct drug testing being either too simple or not physiologically relevant to the human organism. Therefore, an organ-on-a-chip (OOC) system has gained a significant interest among the scientist as an alternative to the conventional studies of the human organs and its reaction on different stimuli (e.g. drugs). However, one of the significant disadvantages of existing OOC models is their low throughput, thus, it is not possible to test different experimental stimuli in parallel, limiting readout possibilities.

The aim of this research is to develop a parallelized, standardized and automated model suitable for multiplexing of organ-on-a-chip systems with further integrated sensors for simultaneous, real-time analysis of the effect of different stimuli on the barrier function. This high-throughput screening platform may enhance the drug screening process and help to minimize the animal experiments.

Zakharova, M., Persijn van Meerten, P. A. M. , van den Broek, M. R. P. , Segerink, L. , & Segers, T. J. (2021). Transient disruption of a Blood-brain Barrier on-chip using focused ultrasound and monodisperse microbubbles. In 25th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences: 10 - 14 October 2021, Palm Springs, CA, USA (pp. 477478)

Zakharova, M. , Tibbe, M. P. , Koch, L. S. , Le-The, H. , Leferink, A. M. , van den Berg, A. , van der Meer, A. D. , Broersen, K. , & Segerink, L. I. (2021). Transwell-Integrated 2 µm Thick Transparent Polydimethylsiloxane Membranes with Controlled Pore Sizes and Distribution to Model the Blood-Brain Barrier. Advanced Materials Technologies, 6(12), [2100138]. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202100138

Bossink, E. G. B. M. , Zakharova, M. , de Bruijn, D. S. , Odijk, M. , & Segerink, L. I. (2021). Measuring barrier function in organ-on-chips with cleanroom-free integration of multiplexable electrodes. Lab on a chip, 21(10), 2040-2049. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0lc01289k

Paggi, C. A. , Zakharova, M. , Segerink, L. , le Gac, S. , Moreira Teixeira Leijten, L. S. , & Karperien, M. (2020). Synovial membrane on chip: a new tool to study co-culture response to mechanical stimulation. In Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, MicroTAS 2020 [Th8-854.e]

Bossink, E. G. B. M. , Zakharova, M. , Odijk, M. , & Segerink, L. (2020). Measuring barrier function in a gut-on-chip. In μTAS 2020: The 24th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences (pp. 943-944)