Low-cost pulse generating system for activating adipose-derived cells in 3D-printed microfluidics

The success of cell-based therapies strongly depends on the regenerative capacity of patient-derived cells, which can vary widely. Enhancing cell potency is therefore critical, especially for autologous applications. Biophysical treatment e.g. extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has emerged as a promising tool to enhance the regenerative potential of cells and has been applied in clinical practice for the treatment of several diseases. We developed a novel, low-cost, small and adaptable multi-mode pulse generating system (PGS) that enables direct treatment of cells in 3D-printed microfluidic devices. Adipose-derived cell treatment by our novel PGS showed first promising results, including significantly increased cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release and proliferation. Enhanced cell functionality could be observed through a significantly increased adipogenic differentiation potential and a trend towards osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages. This novel approach offers unique characteristics achieved by its small dimensions and light weight that come along with increased flexibility and high integrability in existing systems and could therefore overcome limitations faced by conventional biophysical methods. It enables the combination of the process of cell treatment and live monitoring of cells and could therefore emerge in the field of bioprinting, in lab-on-a-chip applications as well as future clinical applications in cell-based therapies for many different therapeutic fields.