AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJB026050045
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Roughness-engineered 3D-printed microfluidics for continuous glucose and lactate sensing in 3D in vitro tissue models

Giheon Kim1 Yeonghwa Hong1 Seungjun Lee1,2 Namsun Chou2 Hyogeun Shin1,3*
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1 School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, College of IT Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
2 Emotion, Cognition & Behavior Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu, Republic of Korea
3 Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
Received: 1 February 2026 | Accepted: 12 March 2026 | Published online: 14 April 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s).. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Monitoring metabolic flux in 3D tissue models is essential for validating physiological maturity and maintaining homeostatic balance. However, conventional optical based analytical techniques often fail to capture dynamic and transient metabolic shifts due to phototoxicity, signal attenuation in thick 3D constructs, and the requirement for invasive labeling, all of which hinder long-term, continuous monitoring. Standard assays such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are also inherently time consuming and labor-intensive. Although electrochemical sensors offer a promising alternative, their integration into microfluidic platforms is frequently constrained by limited mass transport and the poor scalability of traditional lithography-based fabrication methods. Herein, we report an integrated, roughness-engineered microfluidic platform that addresses these limitations by strategically exploiting the “stair-stepping” artifacts inherent to fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing as functional passive micromixers. By repurposing these manufacturing defects into deterministic micro-topographies, the platform induces chaotic advection,disrupting the boundary layer and enhancing solute exchange at physiologically relevant low flow rates. Numerical simulations elucidate the correlation between surface roughness and fluidic vorticity, providing a robust framework for performance optimization. Experimental validation demonstrates superior sensitivity, with a glucose response of 6.983 nA/mM and a lactate response of 5.669 nA/mM. Finally, real-time monitoring of biomimetic hydrogel phantoms over 500 min underscores the platform’s potential as a scalable and cost-effective quality control tool for 3D in vitro tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
3D printing
Metabolic monitoring
Microfluidics
Topographical engineering
Fused deposition modeling
Funding
This research was supported by the Bio&Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (RS-2025-02243041); the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (RS-2025-00557203); and the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (RS-2025-25423539).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing