Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39953294›Full record

ArticleBiomedical microdevices2025

Design, fabrication, and characterization of a user-friendly microfluidic device for studying liver zonation-on-chip (ZoC).

Reza Mahdavi, Sameereh Hashemi-Najafabadi, Mohammad Adel Ghiass, Silmu Valaskivi, Hannu Välimäki, Joose Kreutzer, Charlotte Hamngren Blomqvist, Stefano Romeo, Pasi Kallio, Caroline Beck Adiels

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Article in Biomedical microdevices, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  3. Review
  4. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Reza MahdaviBiotechnology Department, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Sameereh Hashemi-NajafabadiBiomedical Engineering Department, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box, Tehran, 14115-114, IR, Iran. s.hashemi@modares.ac.ir.
Mohammad Adel GhiassTissue Engineering Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Silmu ValaskiviMicro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33720, Tampere, Finland.
Hannu VälimäkiMicro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33720, Tampere, Finland.
Joose KreutzerMicro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33720, Tampere, Finland.
Charlotte Hamngren BlomqvistDepartment of Physics, University of Gothenburg, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Stefano RomeoDepartment of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Wallenberg Laboratory, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Pasi KallioMicro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33720, Tampere, Finland.
Caroline Beck AdielsDepartment of Physics, University of Gothenburg, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden. caroline.adiels@physics.gu.se.

Funding

Research Council of Finland: Center of Excellence on Body-on-chip research (336785 and 353174)The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (ITM17-0384)
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Liver zonation is a fundamental characteristic of hepatocyte spatial heterogeneity, which is challenging to recapitulate in traditional cell cultures. This study presents a novel microfluidic device designed to induce zonation in liver cell cultures by establishing an oxygen gradient using standard laboratory gases. The device consists of two layers; a bottom layer containing a gas channel network that delivers high (cell incubator air, 19% oxygen) and low oxygenated (nitrogen) gases to create three distinct zones within the cell culture chamber in the layer above. Computational simulations and ratiometric oxygen sensing were employed to validate the oxygen gradient, demonstrating that stable oxygen levels were achieved within two hours. Liver zonation was confirmed using immunofluorescence staining, which showed zonated albumin production in HepG2 cells directly correlating with oxygen levels and mimicking in-vivo zonation behavior. This user-friendly device supports studies on liver zonation and related metabolic disease mechanisms in vitro. It can also be utilized for experiments that necessitate precise gas concentration gradients, such as hypoxia-related research areas focused on angiogenesis and cancer development.

Indexed as

Lab-On-A-Chip DevicesLiverMicrofluidic Analytical TechniquesEquipment DesignHepatocytesHep G2 CellsHumansOxygenOxygenCOMSOL simulationIn-vitroLiver zonationMicrofluidicsRatiometric oxygen measurement

Identifiers

PMID39953294
PMCPMC11828804

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.