μOrgano: A Lego®-Like Plug & Play System for Modular Multi-Organ-Chips

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microfluidics
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Organ-on-a-chip systems offer alternatives to animal models for drug screening.
• Connecting multiple organ-on-a-chip units enhances capabilities for complex biological studies and therapy development.
• Current multi-organ systems lack flexibility in connecting individual organ units at desired time points.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a customizable, Lego®-like plug-and-play system for creating integrated multi-organ microphysiological systems.
• To enable flexible, individual culture and subsequent connection of organ-on-a-chip units.
• To demonstrate the system's utility in creating functional multi-organ models.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of the μOrgano system, a customizable modular platform.
• Individual culture of single organ-on-a-chip systems.
• Subsequent connection of organ units to form integrated multi-organ systems.
• Proof-of-concept using serial connection of multiple heart chips.

Main Results:

• The μOrgano system allows for individual culture and subsequent connection of organ-on-a-chip units.
• Successful creation of integrated multi-organ microphysiological systems.
• Demonstrated excellent cell viability in connected heart chips.
• Observed spontaneously physiological beat rates in connected heart chips.

Conclusions:

• The μOrgano system provides a flexible and customizable approach to building multi-organ-on-a-chip models.
• This plug-and-play technology supports sophisticated biological studies and drug screening.
• The system maintains tissue viability and physiological function in integrated models.