Generation of chitosan microfiber for bio-artificial liver microchip

We demonstrate a method to create microscale chitosan fiber by combining a microfluidic device and in situ formation of a 2D shape by winding around the frame. The diameter of these fibers was found to range from a few tenths to hundredths of a micrometer, and the process was optimized to fabricate long (> 1 meter) fibrous chitosan fibers and to wind them. To estimate the capability of these fibers to act as scaffolding for liver tissue formation, HepG2 cells, which are generally used as model for assay of liver function were seeded onto the fibers and cultured.