Applications: life sciences
Bone-on-a-chip
Bone tissue is dynamic, constantly undergoing the process of bone remodeling. In this process, bone renews itself and maintains optimal mechanical properties and consists of a balance between bone resorption of old tissue and the formation of new tissue. It is essential for a variety of vital functions, including structural support, protection of vital organs, housing of the bone marrow that produces blood cells, and storage of essential minerals such as calcium and phosphorus.

Bone-on-a-chip is another of the applications that has been successfully implemented using B5tec’s sensors and actuators
Bone-on-a-chip has some fundamental differences with respect to Skin-on-a-Chip. Bone cell growth implies some very specific mechanical stimuli to develop the structures that are organically created in the body. Therefore, only a very specific kind of reactor that can mimic those conditions.
At B5tec
we have designed our own reactor
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Titanium scaffold
It integrates a titanium scaffold that allows to replicate the conditions found naturally within the human body.
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Bone-on-a-chip
Bone-on-a-chip, as other OoC systems, focusses on replicating cell growth as closely as possible to the organic physiological mechanisms. To do so, the cells that are seeded in the reactor are stem cells, instead of already differentiated bone cells
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BoC focusses on favoring cell growth
As a result, BoC focusses on favoring cell growth and complete cell differentiation. This has been successfully done thanks to very precise sensors and actuators that create the environment needed for that to occur in a homogeneous way.
It has been proven that intermittent flows favor cell differentiation, while continuous flows favor cell proliferation. Therefore, an automated and precise flow control system allows to program different flow patterns depending on what is needed for each experimental phase.
To ensure culture safety during different flow patterns, it is crucial to also have a smart reactor design to avoid cells getting dry and dying.
One of the interesting mechanisms to be studied is the co-culture with two simultaneous processes, bone formation and bone resorption. This aims to study the real mechanisms that occur in the bones in the most realistic way possible. The ultimate goal of these devices is to understand and replicate the body’s organic mechanisms. In this way, therapeutic targets can be identified and personalized medicine can be performed.