Development of microfluidic chip for modeling of human gastrointestinal tract

• Main Author: Khoo, Kaydeson Kong Guan
• Other Authors: Li King Ho Holden
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2025
• Subjects: Engineering; Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182313
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The intestine plays a crucial role in nutrient absorption in the human digestive system and is a barrier against pathogens. Extensive research has been conducted globally to gain an in-depth understanding of the human intestine. Traditional models, such as animals and transwell models are available and have been used in many studies. However, there are limitations which include high cost, time consumption, and lack of crucial dynamic features. Therefore, to address these issues, this project focused on developing a microfluidic device, specifically the gut-on-a-chip (GOC), replicating the human intestinal gut microenvironment in vitro. The primary objective of this project is to design and manufacture a GOC device specifically tailored to simulate cell culture within the gastrointestinal tract. The developed device was used to investigate the growth behavior of Caco-2 cells. This thesis documents the entire manufacturing process, from chip fabrication to cell culturing and the experimental findings. The findings from this project have significant implications for the scientific community. This is proven by publishing a review paper, “Microfluidic Gastrointestinal Cell Culture Technologies - Improvements in the Past Decade.” The insights gained contribute to a deeper understanding of cell growth within the gastrointestinal tract and highlight the advancements of microfluidic devices over the past decade. This allows researchers to understand GOC devices better and appreciate them, and they could apply the knowledge and techniques gained to their projects.