Applying microfluidic techniques for biomaterial and mechanical regulation of mesenchymal stem cells

Figure 1 Schematic overview of microfluidic techniques for investigating the regulation of mesenchymal stem cell fate by biomaterials and mechanical stress. Key applications include: (1) Cell quality control via single-cell sorting and heterogeneity analysis; (2) Microenvironment engineering through hydrogel-based three-dimensional culture and controlled mechanical stress; and (3) Phenotypic monitoring integrated with live-cell imaging. This system enables precise recapitulation of physiological microenvironments and dynamic tracking of mesenchymal stem cell response, supporting mechanistic studies and clinical translation of stem cell therapies (selected illustrations were created with BioRender.com). 3D: Three-dimensional; MSCs: Mesenchymal stem cells.