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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Scalable Fabrication of Stretchable, Dual Channel, Microfluidic Organ Chips

Scalable Fabrication of Stretchable, Dual Channel, Microfluidic Organ Chips

Published on: October 20, 2018

Modelling cancer in microfluidic human organs-on-chips.

Alexandra Sontheimer-Phelps^1,2, Bryan A Hassell^1,3,4, Donald E Ingber^5,6,7

¹Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.

Nature Reviews. Cancer

|January 17, 2019

Summary

Human organs-on-chips are advanced preclinical models that overcome limitations of traditional cancer research methods. These microfluidic devices accurately mimic the human body, improving the study of cancer progression and drug responses.

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Compartmentalization of Human Stem Cell-Derived Neurons within Pre-Assembled Plastic Microfluidic Chips

Compartmentalization of Human Stem Cell-Derived Neurons within Pre-Assembled Plastic Microfluidic Chips

Published on: May 3, 2019

Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Cancer Research
Microfluidics

Background:

Traditional in vitro cancer models fail to replicate the complex tumor microenvironment, hindering anticancer therapy development.
Existing models lack crucial elements like tissue interfaces, organ-level structures, and mechanical cues present in living organs.

Purpose of the Study:

To review advancements in microfluidic technology for creating human organs-on-chips for cancer research.
To highlight the utility of organ chips in modeling cancer progression and therapy response in human-relevant microenvironments.

Main Methods:

Development of microfluidic cell culture technology to create human organs-on-chips.
Utilizing organ chips to precisely control and analyze cellular, molecular, chemical, and biophysical parameters in vitro.

Main Results:

Organ chips enable the faithful recapitulation of human tissue and organ microenvironments for cancer studies.
These models allow for controlled manipulation of parameters to study cancer formation, progression, and treatment efficacy.

Conclusions:

Human organs-on-chips represent a significant leap forward in preclinical cancer modeling.
Further development is needed to fully integrate organ chip technology into personalized medicine and clinical applications.