Rapid Glass-Substrate Digital Light 3D Printing Enables Anatomically Accurate Stroke Patient-Specific Carotid Artery-on-Chips for Personalized Thrombosis Investigation.

Abstract

Translating patient-specific vascular geometries into functional microfluidic devices remains challenging due to fabrication limitations and lengthy processing times. Here, an ultrafast microfabrication platform is introduced using glass-substrate digital light processing 3D printing for creating patient-specific carotid artery-on-a-chip devices. The optimized protocol employs treated glass slides as printing substrates and custom-designed mechanical clamping, reducing manufacturing time from over 10 h to under 2 h with ≈100% success rate. The system accurately reproduces complex anatomical features from CT angiography data of stroke patients, including stenoses, bifurcations, and ulcerations that conventional reconstruction methods often miss. Computational fluid dynamics validation confirms preserved hemodynamic similarity between patient-scale and chip-scale geometries, with matched wall shear rates maintaining physiological relevance despite 30-fold size reduction. The platform supports endothelialization and blood perfusion, enabling real-time visualization of thrombotic processes. Integration with laser ablation technology allows controlled endothelial injury modeling at patient-specific vulnerable sites. Quantitative analysis reveals 7-10-fold higher platelet translocation in the high shear zone (>1000 s-1), demonstrating the platform's capability to capture shear-dependent thrombotic mechanisms. This rapid biomanufacturing approach represents a significant advance in patient-specific organ-on-a-chip technology, with applications in personalized medicine and vascular device development.