Open-Source Culture Platform for Multi-Cell Type Study with Integrated Pneumatic Stimulation

Mechanical forces can influence the structure and development of healthy and cancerous cells and tissue microenvironments, acting on their physical shape and promoting non-genetic alterations during growth. For this reason, it is interesting to investigate the role of dynamic hydrostatic compression on such cultures, to assess the role of such stimuli on key parameters, such as cell differentiation, cell stiffness and cytoskeleton rearrangements. In this work, we present a versatile Arduino-based pneumatic system for the stimulation of a cell culture performed in a standard multi-well plate, designed to work inside a CO2 incubator. The system is capable of modifying the hydrostatic pressure inside a dedicated culture chamber following the desired pattern, and, thus, providing a mechanical hydrostatic stimulus to a cell culture growing inside it. In the present work, a human respiration-like compression pattern was used, to mimic the mechanical stress conditions inside the human lung alveoli, and make the platform compatible with the development of lung tissues and organoids.