A portable and reconfigurable multi-organ platform for drug development with onboard microfluidic flow control

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Drug Discovery
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Drug development faces challenges predicting human clinical safety and efficacy from pre-clinical data.
• Current methods lack reliable tools for assessing compound profiles before human trials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel platform technology for multi-organ modeling.
• To enable reliable prediction of human clinical safety and efficacy for drug candidates.

Main Methods:

• Development of a portable, reconfigurable microfluidic platform with electromagnetic actuators for precision flow control.
• Integration of multiple human cell-based tissue models (airway and liver) supporting organ function and crosstalk.
• Demonstration of stable biological function and controlled parameters (flow rate, temperature, oxygenation) over a two-week period.

Main Results:

• The platform successfully supported connected airway and liver modules for two weeks with precise flow control.
• Demonstrated stable biological function and organ crosstalk, crucial for assessing drug toxicity and efficacy.
• Highlighted technical advancements including portability, scalability, and enhanced usability compared to conventional methods.

Conclusions:

• The presented platform technology offers a significant advancement in pre-clinical drug development.
• It provides a reliable tool for predicting human clinical safety and efficacy through advanced organ-on-a-chip models.
• Enables better understanding of organ-organ interactions in response to drug compounds.