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The Multi-organ Chip - A Microfluidic Platform for Long-term Multi-tissue Coculture
Published on: April 28, 2015
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Organ-on-a-Chip Technology for Reproducing Multiorgan Physiology
Seung Hwan Lee1, Jong Hwan Sung2
1School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
Advanced Healthcare Materials
|September 26, 2017
Summary
Organ-on-a-chip technology offers a more accurate in vitro model for predicting drug efficacy and toxicity. These microfluidic devices mimic human organ functions, improving drug development by bridging the gap between lab tests and human trials.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Drug Discovery
- Toxicology
Background:
- Conventional 2D cell cultures in drug development show limitations due to in vitro-in vivo discrepancies.
- These differences often lead to late-stage drug trial failures, increasing costs and development time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advancements in organ-on-a-chip (OOC) technologies for improved in vitro drug testing.
- To highlight OOC applications in recapitulating in vivo systems for efficacy and toxicity prediction.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature on microtechnology-based organ-on-a-chip systems.
- Analysis of OOC applications for mimicking single and multiple organ functions.
Main Results:
- Organ-on-a-chip systems utilize microtechnology to replicate the microenvironment of human tissues.
- Multiorgan models are being developed to simulate inter-organ interactions.
- Ongoing research aims for "body-on-a-chip" and "human-on-a-chip" devices.
Conclusions:
- Organ-on-a-chip technology represents a significant improvement over traditional cell cultures for drug development.
- These advanced in vitro models promise more accurate prediction of drug responses in humans.
- Future developments focus on whole-body simulation for comprehensive drug evaluation.
