13.2 Single and Multi-organ Chip Systems
2 min read•july 24, 2024
systems are revolutionizing and . Single-organ chips focus on specific organs, while multi-organ chips integrate multiple organs to better mimic whole-body physiology. These systems offer exciting possibilities for more accurate and efficient drug development.
Examples include for and for . Multi-organ chips face challenges in maintaining different and scaling organ models, but they provide valuable insights into and .
Single-Organ Chip Systems
Single-organ vs multi-organ chips
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Frontiers | Biomedical Application of Functional Materials in Organ-on-a-Chip View original
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Frontiers | Review on the Vascularization of Organoids and Organoids-on-a-Chip View original
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Frontiers | Biomedical Application of Functional Materials in Organ-on-a-Chip View original
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Top images from around the web for Single-organ vs multi-organ chips
Frontiers | Biomedical Application of Functional Materials in Organ-on-a-Chip View original
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Frontiers | Biomedical Application of Functional Materials in Organ-on-a-Chip View original
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- systems replicate specific organ function, feature simpler design and fabrication, allow easier control and analysis but limit systemic interaction representation (liver-on-a-chip)
- systems integrate multiple organ models on one platform, involve more complex design and fabrication, better represent organ-organ interactions, and mimic whole-body physiology more closely ()
Examples of organ-specific chips
- Liver-on-a-chip cultures hepatocytes in mimicking liver sinusoids and lobular structure used for and toxicity studies
- cultures renal tubular epithelial cells on a membrane simulating kidney filtration and reabsorption processes applied in
- Heart-on-a-chip cultures cardiomyocytes on flexible substrates mimicking cardiac tissue contraction and electrical activity used for cardiotoxicity screening and drug discovery
- recreates alveolar-capillary interface for studying respiratory diseases and drug delivery
- models blood-brain barrier and neural networks for neurotoxicity and neurological disorder research
Multi-Organ Chip Systems
Organ-organ interactions in chips
- Organ-organ interactions involve communication via signaling molecules, metabolic interplay, substance exchange, and systemic responses to stimuli
- Significance in multi-organ chips:
- Accurately represent in vivo conditions
- Enable complex physiological process studies
- Improve drug efficacy and toxicity predictions
- Allow investigation of multi-organ disease progression
- Examples: liver-kidney interaction for drug metabolism and elimination, gut-brain axis for studying neurological disorders
Challenges of multi-organ chips
- Technical challenges involve maintaining different cell types, scaling organ models to physiological ratios, and integrating modules while preserving individual functionalities
- include incomplete organ functionality in simplified models, absence of , and limited long-term effect representation
- encompass real-time monitoring of multiple organs and complex data interpretation due to interconnected responses
- arise from lack of uniform protocols and variability in cell sources and culture conditions
- Validation and regulatory hurdles require extensive in vivo data comparison and overcoming adoption barriers for drug testing
Key Terms to Review (27)
Analytical challenges: Analytical challenges refer to the difficulties and obstacles faced when trying to measure, interpret, and understand complex biological systems, particularly in relation to the performance and functionality of engineered tissues and organ models. These challenges often arise from the need for precise measurements, the integration of multiple biological functions, and the replicability of human physiological responses within engineered environments. Addressing these analytical challenges is essential for improving the design and application of single and multi-organ chip systems.
Biological limitations: Biological limitations refer to the inherent constraints and challenges that living systems face due to their physiological, biochemical, and cellular characteristics. These limitations can impact the functionality and performance of engineered systems, particularly in the context of single and multi-organ chip systems where biological accuracy is crucial for mimicking real-life human responses.
Body-on-a-chip: A body-on-a-chip is a miniaturized system that replicates human organ functions on a single microchip, allowing for the simulation of physiological responses in a controlled environment. This technology integrates multiple organ systems to create a more accurate representation of human biology, enabling researchers to study drug interactions, disease mechanisms, and personalized medicine more effectively.
Brain-on-a-chip: A brain-on-a-chip is a microfluidic device that mimics the structure and function of human brain tissue, allowing researchers to study neural activity and drug interactions in a controlled environment. This innovative platform is designed to replicate specific aspects of brain physiology, enabling more accurate predictions of how drugs and treatments affect human brain function compared to traditional models.
Cardiotoxicity screening: Cardiotoxicity screening is the process of evaluating the potential harmful effects of substances, such as drugs or chemicals, on heart cells and overall cardiac function. This screening is crucial in drug development to identify compounds that may pose a risk of causing damage to the heart, ultimately leading to adverse cardiovascular events. By utilizing advanced technologies and models, especially in single and multi-organ chip systems, researchers can better predict cardiotoxic responses in human tissues, enhancing the safety of new therapeutics.
Cell types: Cell types refer to the different classifications of cells based on their structure, function, and origin within an organism. These classifications can significantly impact how cells interact with each other, how they respond to stimuli, and their role in various biological systems, such as single and multi-organ chip systems, which mimic the functions of human organs for research and medical applications.
Complex physiological processes: Complex physiological processes refer to the intricate and interrelated functions that occur within biological systems, involving multiple organs, tissues, and cellular interactions. These processes are essential for maintaining homeostasis, responding to environmental changes, and supporting overall organismal health. Understanding these processes is crucial for developing models that accurately mimic human biology in research and therapeutic applications.
Disease modeling: Disease modeling refers to the use of biological systems to simulate and study the mechanisms of disease progression, enabling researchers to better understand pathophysiology and evaluate potential treatments. This approach often incorporates advanced technologies, such as microfluidics and gene editing, to create more accurate representations of human tissues and organs, enhancing the predictive power of models in drug development and therapeutic interventions.
Drug metabolism: Drug metabolism refers to the biochemical process by which the body transforms pharmaceutical compounds into more easily excretable forms. This process is crucial as it determines the duration and intensity of a drug's action, influencing therapeutic effectiveness and safety. Drug metabolism primarily occurs in the liver but can also take place in other tissues, making it an essential consideration for drug development and testing.
Drug testing: Drug testing refers to the process of evaluating the efficacy and safety of pharmaceutical compounds before they are approved for clinical use. This involves various methods and models to assess how a drug interacts with biological systems, including human cells and tissues. Accurate drug testing is crucial for minimizing adverse effects and ensuring therapeutic effectiveness.
Extracellular matrix (ECM) interaction: Extracellular matrix (ECM) interaction refers to the dynamic relationship between cells and the ECM, which is a complex network of proteins and carbohydrates providing structural and biochemical support to surrounding cells. These interactions play a critical role in various biological processes, including cell adhesion, migration, differentiation, and signaling. Understanding ECM interactions is essential for developing effective single and multi-organ chip systems, as they mimic the natural cellular environment and enable accurate physiological responses.
Fluid Dynamics: Fluid dynamics is the study of how fluids (liquids and gases) behave and move, especially when influenced by forces. This branch of physics plays a crucial role in understanding the transport and behavior of biological fluids in various engineered systems, like devices that mimic organ functions and those designed for cell culture. It helps predict how substances will flow, mix, or interact within these systems, which is essential for optimizing their design and function.
Heart-on-a-chip: A heart-on-a-chip is a microfluidic device that mimics the structure and function of a human heart, allowing researchers to study cardiac physiology, disease mechanisms, and drug responses in a controlled environment. This technology integrates living heart cells within a small, bioengineered platform that replicates the mechanical and electrical functions of the heart. By providing a more accurate representation of human cardiac tissue, these devices serve as powerful tools in advancing drug discovery and toxicology studies.
Immune system components: Immune system components refer to the various cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend the body against pathogens and diseases. These components include white blood cells, antibodies, the lymphatic system, and organs like the spleen and thymus, which all play crucial roles in identifying and eliminating threats to health.
Kidney-on-a-chip: A kidney-on-a-chip is a microfluidic device that mimics the functions and architecture of human kidneys, enabling researchers to study renal physiology and pathology in a controlled environment. This technology integrates living kidney cells within a microenvironment that replicates the natural conditions of kidney tissues, allowing for the examination of drug responses, toxicity, and disease mechanisms. It serves as an important tool for advancing drug discovery and toxicology studies by providing a more accurate representation of human kidney behavior compared to traditional methods.
Liver-on-a-chip: A liver-on-a-chip is a microfluidic device that mimics the functions of human liver tissue using living cells to study liver biology, drug metabolism, and toxicity in a controlled environment. This innovative technology allows researchers to observe how drugs are processed and how they may affect liver function, bridging the gap between traditional cell cultures and animal models.
Lung-on-a-chip: A lung-on-a-chip is a microfluidic device that mimics the physiological and mechanical functions of human lung tissue, allowing for the study of respiratory diseases, drug testing, and toxicology in a controlled environment. This technology integrates living cells with a micro-engineered system to replicate the intricate architecture and dynamics of lung tissue, facilitating research that can lead to better understanding and treatment of lung conditions.
Microfluidic channels: Microfluidic channels are tiny pathways, often just micrometers in diameter, designed to manipulate small volumes of fluids, usually on the scale of nanoliters to picoliters. These channels enable precise control over fluid flow, mixing, and reactions, making them essential for creating miniaturized systems that mimic biological environments, such as organs or tissues.
Multi-organ chip: A multi-organ chip is a microfluidic device that simulates the interactions between multiple human organs on a single platform, allowing researchers to study the complexities of organ function and disease progression. This technology replicates physiological environments and enables the examination of how drugs or toxins affect different organs simultaneously, providing insights that traditional models cannot offer.
Nephrotoxicity testing: Nephrotoxicity testing refers to the evaluation of substances for their potential harmful effects on the kidneys. This type of testing is critical in drug development and toxicology, helping researchers understand how compounds can damage renal cells or disrupt kidney function. By using advanced models, like organ-on-a-chip systems, scientists can simulate kidney environments and assess how different agents affect kidney health over time.
Organ-on-a-chip: An organ-on-a-chip is a microengineered device that simulates the functions of a human organ, using living cells and tissues arranged to replicate the physiological environment of that organ. These chips enable researchers to model disease processes, assess drug responses, and study organ interactions in a controlled setting, offering a more accurate alternative to traditional in vitro models.
Organ-organ interactions: Organ-organ interactions refer to the dynamic and reciprocal communication between different organs in the body, influencing each other's functions and overall physiological processes. This interplay is crucial for maintaining homeostasis, coordinating responses to stimuli, and ensuring that various biological systems work in harmony. Understanding these interactions is essential for developing effective tissue engineering strategies and creating organ-on-chip systems that mimic real-life biological responses.
Reproducibility: Reproducibility refers to the ability to obtain consistent results when experiments or studies are repeated under similar conditions. In scientific research, it is a crucial concept that ensures findings can be verified and validated by different researchers using the same methods, leading to reliable and trustworthy outcomes. This concept is especially important in single and multi-organ chip systems, where the accuracy and reliability of results can greatly impact drug development and disease modeling.
Scalability: Scalability refers to the ability of a system to handle a growing amount of work or its potential to accommodate growth without compromising performance. In various biological engineering contexts, scalability is crucial for translating small-scale research findings into larger applications, ensuring that technologies can be effectively scaled up for practical use, such as in tissue engineering, organ modeling, and cell culture systems.
Single-organ chip: A single-organ chip is a microfluidic device designed to replicate the functions of a specific organ, allowing researchers to study physiological responses and disease mechanisms in a controlled environment. These chips utilize living cells and engineered materials to mimic the architecture and functions of organs, providing insights into drug interactions, toxicology, and disease modeling without the ethical concerns associated with animal testing.
Standardization Issues: Standardization issues refer to the challenges and inconsistencies that arise in the processes and protocols used in scientific and engineering practices, particularly in the development of single and multi-organ chip systems. These issues can impact the reproducibility, reliability, and comparability of experimental results across different studies, making it difficult to validate findings and implement them in real-world applications. Addressing these issues is crucial for advancing technologies and ensuring that they meet regulatory standards and clinical needs.
Toxicity studies: Toxicity studies are research investigations designed to evaluate the adverse effects of substances on living organisms, helping to determine the safety and risk associated with exposure to chemicals, drugs, or biological materials. These studies play a critical role in ensuring that new medical products are safe for use and can inform decisions about their further development or approval. By assessing both acute and chronic effects, toxicity studies provide essential data that influences regulatory guidelines and public health policies.