Neural differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in a microfluidic system

Sammanfattning: The development of the human embryonic brain is a complex process involving several biological cues which interact to generate speci_c neural cells and anatomical features. There are still many questions to be addressed regarding biological key mechanisms which in case of malfunction might disturb the development of the brain. Animal models such as rats and mice have been used to get a better understanding of these biological mechanisms. However, it is essential to _nd a more suitable model system as the human brain is more complex and bigger in size. The aim of this master thesis project is to create a microuidic system capable of generating a model of the early developing brain from human embryonic stem cells. Various microfabrication methods for creating the microuidic system are presented along with simulations and uorescence experiments. Also, stem cell di_erentiation experiments are performed and analyzed. Results show that the microuidic system can be used to create di_erent cell types that constitute the early brain in a single cell culture. Simulations indicate that it is possible to test whether the design of the microuidic system corresponds to the functional requirements. A future optimized microuidic system could enable the generation of more neural cell types and also recreate the anatomy of the early human brain.