SHIMIZU Tatsuya    Department   Research Institutes and Facilities, Research Institutes and Facilities    Position   Professor
Article types	Original article
Language	English
Peer review	Peer reviewed
Title	A micro-spherical heart pump powered by cultured cardiomyocytes.
Journal	Formal name：Lab on a chip Abbreviation：Lab Chip ISSN code：(1473-0197)1473-0189(Linking)
Domestic / Foregin	Foregin
Publisher	The Royal Society of Chemistry
Volume, Issue, Page	7(2),pp.207-212
Author and coauthor	Tanaka Yo†, Sato Kae, Shimizu Tatsuya, Yamato Masayuki, Okano Teruo, Kitamori Takehiko*
Publication date	2007/02
Summary	Miniaturization of chemical or biochemical systems creates extremely efficient devices exploiting the advantages of microspaces. Although they are often targeted for implanted tissue engineered organs or drug-delivery devices because of their highly integrated systems, microfluidic devices are usually powered by external energy sources and therefore difficult to be used in vivo. A microfluidic device powered without the need for external energy sources or stimuli is needed. Previously, we demonstrated the concept of a cardiomyocyte pump using only chemical energy input to cells as a driver (Yo Tanaka, Keisuke Morishima, Tatsuya Shimizu, Akihiko Kikuchi, Masayuki Yamato, Teruo Okano and Takehiko Kitamori, Lab Chip, 6(3), pp. 362-368). However, the structure of this prototype pump described there included complicated mechanical components and fabricated compartments. Here, we have created a micro-spherical heart-like pump powered by spontaneously contracting cardiomyocyte sheets driven without a need for external energy sources or coupled stimuli. This device was fabricated by wrapping a beating cardiomyocyte sheet exhibiting large contractile forces around a fabricated hollow elastomeric sphere (5 mm diameter, 250 microm polymer thickness) fixed with inlet and outlet ports. Fluid oscillations in a capillary connected to the hollow sphere induced by the synchronously pulsating cardiomyocyte sheet were confirmed, and the device continually worked for at least 5 days in this system. This bio/artificial hybrid fluidic pump device is innovative not only because it is driven by cells using only chemical energy input, but also because the design is an optimum structure (sphere). We anticipate that this device might be applied for various purposes including a bio-actuator for medical implant devices that relies on biochemical energy, not electrical interfacing.
DOI	10.1039/b612082b
PMID	17268623