Engineering osteoclast resorption units <i>via</i> sacrificial microgels in a bone-on-chip platform.

ABSTRACT: Bone remodeling is a tightly regulated process essential for skeletal health, occurring within specialized structures known as bone multicellular units (BMUs). Despite extensive research, current animal models and conventional in vitro systems fail to reproduce the spatial and cellular complexity of human BMUs. Moreover, the mineralized nature of bone tissue poses imaging challenges due to its inherent opacity, limiting the ability to monitor osteoclast activity in complex 3D models. Control over the structure of in vitro BMU micro-confined niches would enable more effective 3D analysis readouts of osteoclast activity. Herein we developed a BMU-inspired bone-on-chip platform that enables localized, non-invasive analysis of human osteoclast function. Using microfluidic droplet

SUBMITTER: Conceicao F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12624845 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature