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Updated: Aug 22, 2025
Author Spotlight: Developing a Microfluidic Lung-on-Chip Model for In-Depth Study of Human Immune Response and Infection Mechanisms
Published on: May 31, 2024
Biomimetic lung-on-a-chip to model virus infection and drug evaluation
Jianfeng Tan1, Quanwei Guo1, Lingling Tian2
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shenzhen Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen 518101, China.
Abstract:
Viral infectious diseases remain a global public health problem. The rapid and widespread spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV‑2) has had a severe impact on the global economy and human activities, highlighting the vulnerability of humans to viral infectious diseases and the urgent need to develop new technologies and effective treatments. Organ-on-a-chip is an emerging technology for constructing the physiological and pathological microenvironment of human organs in vitro and has the advantages of portability, high throughput, low cost, and accurate simulation of the in vivo microenvironment. Indeed, organ-on-a-chip provides a low-cost alternative for investigating human organ physiology, organ diseases, toxicology, and drug efficacy. The lung is a main target organ of viral infection, and lung pathophysiology must be assessed after viral infection and treatment with antiviral drugs. This review introduces the construction of lung-on-a-chip and its related pathophysiological models, focusing on the in vitro simulation of viral infection and evaluation of antiviral drugs, providing a developmental direction for research and treatment of viral diseases.
Insights
Organ-on-a-chip technology offers a novel approach to study viral infections in lung models. This method aids in evaluating antiviral drugs and understanding disease progression for better treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Infectious Diseases
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Viral infectious diseases, including COVID-19, pose significant global health challenges, necessitating advanced research tools.
- The limitations of traditional models highlight the need for innovative in vitro systems to study human organ physiology and disease.
- The lung is a primary target for many viral infections, making its study crucial for understanding pathogenesis and developing treatments.
Approach:
- Organ-on-a-chip technology creates functional in vitro models of human organs, simulating the in vivo microenvironment.
- Lung-on-a-chip models are specifically designed to replicate lung physiology and pathophysiology.
- These models enable the in vitro simulation of viral infections and the assessment of antiviral drug efficacy.
Key Points:
- Organ-on-a-chip systems provide a portable, high-throughput, and cost-effective platform for research.
- Lung-on-a-chip models accurately mimic the human lung's response to viral pathogens.
- This technology facilitates the evaluation of drug efficacy against viral infections in a controlled environment.
Conclusions:
- Lung-on-a-chip technology represents a promising development for studying viral infections and evaluating antiviral therapies.
- This approach offers a valuable alternative for understanding disease mechanisms and accelerating drug development.
- Further research in this area can guide the development of novel treatments for viral respiratory diseases.
