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Published on: October 1, 2007
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Toward a modular, integrated, miniaturized, and portable microfluidic flow control architecture for organs-on-chips
Gürhan Özkayar1, Joost C Lötters, Marcel Tichem1
1Department of Precision and Microsystems Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
Biomicrofluidics
|April 25, 2022
Summary
Microfluidic organs-on-chips (OoCs) require miniaturized flow control. This study classifies OoCs, proposes flow control mechanisms, and integrates components for portable, efficient organ-on-chip systems.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Microfluidics
- Organ-on-a-Chip Technology
Background:
- Organs-on-chips (OoCs) are advanced in vitro models for predicting human organ function and drug responses.
- Current OoC systems rely on bulky external fluid control components, limiting their practicality.
- There is a critical need for compact, integrated microfluidic flow control systems for OoCs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To classify existing OoC devices based on type and microfluidic complexity.
- To propose fundamental fluid flow control mechanisms and component configurations for OoCs.
- To present an integrated architecture for modular microfluidic flow control and OoC devices.
Main Methods:
- Structured classification of OoC devices.
- Definition of three fundamental fluid flow control mechanisms.
- Design of component configurations for varying OoC complexities.
- Proposal of an integrated modular platform architecture.
Main Results:
- A systematic classification of OoC devices is presented.
- Three core fluid flow control mechanisms and their component configurations are defined.
- An integrated architecture for modular flow control components and OoC devices is proposed.
Conclusions:
- Miniaturization of flow control is essential for portable, efficient OoCs.
- Integrated systems minimize sample use, dead volume, and enable long-duration experiments.
- The proposed architecture facilitates advanced in vitro organ modeling.
