Dissection the Osteogenic and Angiogenic Signal Pathways in Bone Development and Regeneration with Biochips

Osteogenesis is the cellular and molecular foundation of skeletal development and bone regeneration related to fracture healing, revitalization of bone graft and therapies for osteoporosis. A hallmark of osteogenesis is the mineralization of extracellular matrix. Because of its potential impact on developmental biology and human health, understanding and regulation of osteogenesis are subjects of intensive study. Although significant advancements have been made over the past decades, there are still unsolved puzzles in regulations of osteogenesis. Angiogenesis generally refers to new blood vessels branching out from established vasculature. Besides of fundamental physiology, angiogenesis involves in pathology, such as growth of cancer, and is essential for the repair of virtually all types of tissues. It has long been recognized that osteogenesis and angiogenesis are coupling events during bone formation. The classic osteogenic and angiogenic pathways intertwine and cross-talk during bone formation. To better understand the signal pathways and coupling factors of osteogenesis and angiogenesis is critically important for enhancing bone regeneration and tissue engineering of bone. The conventional biological models, however, have very limited capacity of isolating angiogenic and osteogenic events from the cascade of bone regeneration, and precisely quantifying the effects of angiogenic and osteogenic factors on bone formation at a molecular level. Biochips and tissue chips provide a powerful tool to simulate and quantify angiogenic and osteogenic events on the chips and effectively untangle these biologically important and clinically relevant molecular events during bone formation.