Microchips for cell-based assays.

Analysis of cells is a cornerstone in biomedical research. Traditional methods for cell culture and tissue analysis can be replaced by various microchips as discussed in this chapter. A tissue array is an example of microchip that provides higher throughput of tissue analysis. Other microchips provide completely new functionalities for the researcher. One such example that will be discussed is cell culture chips. The cell culture vessel will be much more competent for studies of cell and will enable real-time monitoring of cell behavior and gene expression at a single cell level, have possibilities for studying chemotaxis and shear stress phenomena in a controlled manner, provide least tissue-like culture conditions by providing micro 3D structures, and provide arrays of integrated detectors. Tissue arrays and the simplest forms of cell culture chips are commercialized today, and we may expect a large activity in this field in the future.