A Modular Microfluidic Organoid Platform Using LEGO-Like Bricks

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microfluidics
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Current 3D in vitro models, including organoids, face limitations in standard organ-on-a-chip (OoC) systems.
• Integrating organoids into OoCs presents technical challenges, leading to complex and inefficient cell culture protocols.
• There is a need for adaptable microfluidic platforms to incorporate complex 3D in vitro models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a flexible and user-friendly microfluidic platform for the dynamic culture of organoids.
• To overcome the limitations of current methods for integrating organoids into OoC systems.
• To facilitate the combination of organoid technology with advanced microfluidic platforms.

Main Methods:

• Development of a modular, tubeless fluidic circuit board (FCB) system.
• Fabrication of the FCB by milling channels in polycarbonate plates and thermal bonding.
• Integration of LEGO-like fluidic interconnectors and lock-and-play clamps for cell culture bricks.
• Dynamic culture of embryonic stem cell-derived thyroid follicles using the developed platform.

Main Results:

• The developed FCB system allows for easy and rapid (un)loading of organoids.
• Thyroid organoids were successfully cultured on-chip for up to 10 days without structural or functional loss.
• A multiplexed perfusion experiment demonstrated the system's capability for parallel experiments.

Conclusions:

• The modular FCB platform offers a flexible and efficient solution for integrating organoids with microfluidic systems.
• This technology simplifies dynamic culture protocols for 3D in vitro models.
• The system shows promise for advancing organoid and OoC research by enabling synergistic combination.