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Organoid chip based automatic system for long-term quantifying ciliary beating under drug intervention
Zixi Li1, Zhicheng Huang2, Daoyun Wang2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China.
Analytica Chimica Acta
|January 9, 2026
Summary
A new microfluidic chip system (AuCilia) enables precise, long-term monitoring of human-derived ciliary organoids (HDCOs). This technology overcomes limitations in studying ciliary beating and accelerates drug discovery for related diseases.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cell Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Motile cilia are crucial for physiological processes, and their dysfunction is linked to various diseases.
- Current in vitro models lack the complexity of in vivo systems, hindering research.
- Human-derived ciliary organoids (HDCOs) offer a promising bridge but face challenges with limited numbers and tracking accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a system for precise, long-term monitoring and analysis of ciliary beating in HDCOs.
- To overcome technical barriers in HDCO culture and observation, such as limited sample size and organoid displacement.
- To create a platform for efficient drug screening and physiological studies of cilia.
Main Methods:
- Development of a multifunctional microfluidic chip (MOCiB-Chip) with integrated immobilization, culture, observation, and drug mixing capabilities.
- Establishment of an automated quantifying system for ciliary beating (AuCilia) using the MOCiB-Chip, Ciliary Beating Frequency Analysis Software (CBFAS), and a fluid control module.
- 7-day monitoring of human bronchial HDCOs and evaluation of roflumilast's effects on ciliary beating frequency and cAMP levels.
Main Results:
- The AuCilia system successfully achieved 7-day monitoring of HDCOs, maintaining tracking accuracy.
- Roflumilast demonstrated dose-dependent effects: 10 nM increased beating frequency by 81.5%, 1 nM by 27.8%, while 100 nM caused cessation by day 2.
- cAMP measurements validated the mechanism of action for roflumilast, confirming the system's reliability.
Conclusions:
- The developed strategy integrates all procedures on-chip, eliminating HDCO loss and resolving conflicts between limited samples and multi-condition testing.
- Improved tracking accuracy by preventing organoid displacement/overlapping overcomes multi-well-plate limitations.
- The low-cost, reproducible system accelerates drug screening and enables precise study of cilia physiology, supporting research and clinical translation for cilia-related diseases.
