'Chip'-ing away at morphogenesis - application of organ-on-chip technologies to study tissue morphogenesis

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Tissue Engineering
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Tissue morphogenesis arises from complex interactions between gene regulatory networks, mechanical forces, and microenvironmental signals.
• Understanding how these factors integrate to drive emergent cell behaviors is crucial for developmental biology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a biological framework for utilizing organ-on-chip systems to investigate tissue morphogenesis.
• To highlight how organ-on-chip technology advances the study of molecular and mechanical mechanisms in morphogenic processes.

Main Methods:

• Leveraging organ-on-chip technology to create and manipulate miniaturized human tissues with organotypic architectures.
• Analyzing diverse morphogenic settings using organ-on-chips and associated microphysiological systems.

Main Results:

• Organ-on-chip applications have progressed from tissue engineering to discovery biology, revealing mechanisms of tissue morphogenesis.
• Recent studies demonstrate new mechanistic insights into diverse morphogenic events facilitated by organ-on-chip platforms.

Conclusions:

• Organ-on-chip systems are powerful tools for dissecting the integrated control of tissue morphogenesis.
• These platforms serve as valuable test beds for advancing cell and developmental biology research.