Advanced Materials and Sensors for Microphysiological Systems: Focus on Electronic and Electrooptical Interfaces

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Microphysiological systems (MPSs), such as organ-on-a-chip (OoC) models, are advanced in vitro systems that mimic human tissue functionality.
• These models are crucial for drug development, disease modeling, and precision medicine, offering a potential alternative to animal testing.
• Current MPS models, often made of passive polymers or glass, lack real-time stimuli and readout capabilities, limiting their in vivo-like functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review advanced electronic and optical functional materials for sensing and stimulation in MPS models.
• To provide an overview of multi-sensing technologies for Body-on-Chip platforms.
• To discuss the integration of advanced functional materials for precise mimicry of human physiology in vitro.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of reported electronic and optical advanced materials for MPS.
• Analysis of sensing and stimulation capabilities of these materials.
• Examination of multi-sensing approaches in Body-on-Chip platforms.

Main Results:

• Identified various electronic and optical materials enabling sensing and stimulation in MPS.
• Highlighted the potential of these materials to overcome limitations of conventional MPS.
• Discussed the development of multi-sensing platforms for comprehensive physiological monitoring.

Conclusions:

• Advanced functional materials are key to enhancing MPS, enabling real-time monitoring and improved in vivo-like functionality.
• Integration of these materials can lead to more sophisticated in vitro models for biomedical research.
• Future developments focus on precisely mimicking human physiology through advanced material integration in in vitro systems.