Stellingen behorende bij het proefschrift
Microvasculature in microfluidics: matching complexity with compatibility
1. To advance drug research, in vitro models require a balance between physiological complexity with screening compatibility. (Chapter 1, This thesis)
2. Blood vessels are an excellent showcase for what microfluidics can add to cell culture. (Chapter 2, This thesis)
3. Bi-directional flow is better than no flow at all. (Chapter 3, This thesis) 4. Standardization of microfluidics is necessary for the systemic validation
of its added physiological relevance. (This thesis)
5. “Predictive mathematical models are necessary to develop general design principles for modeling tissue of functionality in vitro.” (Griffith, Nature reviews Molecular cell biology, 2006). The usage of such
predictive models should be encouraged in the field of microfluidic cell culture, as this would make model development much more structured and efficient.
6. “Where currently angiogenesis and structural remodeling are more or less disjointed areas of investigation, vascular research should take a more integrated view of the processes underlying vascular structure.” (Pries, Physiology, 2014). This will lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of vasculature-related diseases.
7. “The microfluidic cell culture community should focus on using
established platforms that are widely accessible and available” (Berthier. Lab on a Chip, 2012). This is because using established platform will enable the adoption by biologists, and will shift the focus from engineering towards cell biology and model validation.
9. As vasculature is a fundamental constituent in every organ, its integration will play a central role in every future ‘organ-on-a-chip’ application.
10. Insight comes, more often than not, from looking at what has been on the table all along.
11. The truth is always there whether we see it or not, whether we choose to or not. The truth does not care about our needs or wants. it does not care about our governments, our ideologies, our religions, to lie in wait for all time.
