2. Academic Validation
  3. Drug Screening of Primary Human Endometriotic Cells Based on Micro-Encapsulating Microfluidic Chip

Drug Screening of Primary Human Endometriotic Cells Based on Micro-Encapsulating Microfluidic Chip

  • Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025 May;12(20):e2504647. doi: 10.1002/advs.202504647.
Qiong Chen 1 2,  Jing Wang 1 2,  Wenzhao Li 3 4 5,  Luoran Shang 1 2 3 4,  Dexuan Wang 6,  Ping Duan 1 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China.
  • 2 Oncology Discipline Group, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China.
  • 3 Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, Zhongshan-Xuhui Hospital, and the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism (Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences), Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
  • 4 Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, 325001, China.
  • 5 Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China.
  • 6 Department of Pediatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China.
PMID: 40289897 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202504647
Abstract

Endometriosis (EMs), a significant global health issue, characterized by unclear pathogenesis, nonspecific symptoms, and poor treatment outcomes. The organ-on-chip technology has achieved great advances in disease modeling, yet its potential in EMs-related research remains largely untapped. Herein, a microfluidic chip platform that integrates primary cell-laden microcapsules for personalized drug evaluation. Specifically, primary human ectopic endometrial stromal cells (hESCs) within microcapsules featuring a biocompatible carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) core and a stable alginate (ALG) shell using precise microfluidic electrospray are encapsulated. These microcapsules are integrated into a chip with a branched gradient generator and multiple cell-culture chambers, enabling tailored and high-throughput drug screening. By exposing hESCs-microcapsules derived from primary cells of distinct patient individuals to various drugs on-chip, significant inter-individual variability was revealed, with a strong correlation to clinical outcomes. This unique combination of patient-specific 3D microenvironments and dynamic drug gradient control represents a paradigm shift in personalized EMs research. Further integrating with omics techniques, its capability in exploring promising drugs is showcased. These results reveal that the chip platform could deliver dependable and personalized drug screening outcomes, thereby benefiting both scientific inquiries and clinical therapies.

Keywords

drug screening; endometriosis; hydrogel; microcapsule; microfluidics.

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