QUANTITATIVE CNS AXON GROWTH ANALYSIS FOR DRUG SCREENING IN A MICROFLUIDIC NEURON CULTURE PLATFORM

摘要

We present a microfluidic neuron culture platform capable of isolating/guiding CNS axons from neuronal somata for localized manipulation and quantitative analysis of axonal growth. Localized treatment of five extracellular matrices to somata or axons for investigating their effects on axon growth was demonstrated. Quantitative analysis of axon growths in response to different treatment could be performed in significantly reduced time due to the axon guiding feature of the platform. Isolation capability, along with the multi-compartment configuration enabling six different localized axon treatments to be carried out on a single device simultaneously, make this neuron culture platform ideal for screening drugs and molecular factors that promote CNS axon growth.