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Author Spotlight: Developing Immunocompetent Organ-on-Chip Models for Infectious Disease Research
Published on: May 24, 2024
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Engineering organ-on-a-chip systems to model viral infections
Fahimeh Shahabipour1,2, Sandro Satta3, Mahboobeh Mahmoodi4,5
1Skin Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Biofabrication
|April 7, 2022
Summary
Organ-on-a-chip technology offers a novel approach to model viral infections, overcoming limitations of traditional cell cultures and animal models. This method aids in developing effective antiviral therapeutics and vaccines.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Biotechnology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Infectious diseases pose a significant global public health challenge.
- The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for advanced research models.
- Current models like 2D cell cultures and animal studies have limitations in mimicking human physiology and interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the application of organ-on-a-chip (OoC) technology for modeling viral infections.
- To highlight the potential of OoC devices in antiviral drug discovery and vaccine development.
- To discuss the advantages and challenges of OoC-based viral infection modeling.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on organ-on-a-chip devices for viral infection studies.
- Analysis of the capabilities of OoC technology in simulating human tissue microenvironments.
- Evaluation of OoC platforms for high-throughput screening of antiviral therapeutics.
Main Results:
- OoC devices successfully replicate human tissue complexity and multicellular interactions.
- These models offer a more physiologically relevant platform for studying viral pathogenesis.
- OoC technology facilitates efficient screening of potential antiviral agents.
Conclusions:
- Organ-on-a-chip technology represents a significant advancement in modeling viral infections.
- OoC platforms provide a promising avenue for accelerating the development of novel antiviral therapeutics and vaccines.
- Further research and development are needed to address current challenges and fully realize the potential of OoC technology in infectious disease research.

