The Future Application of Organ-on-a-Chip Technologies as Proving Grounds for MicroBioRobots

Abstract

An evolving understanding of disease pathogenesis has compelled the development of new drug delivery approaches. Recently, bioinspired microrobots have gained traction as drug delivery systems. By leveraging the microscale phenomena found in physiological systems, these microrobots can be designed with greater maneuverability, which enables more precise, controlled drug release. Their function could be further improved by testing their efficacy in physiologically relevant model systems as part of their development. In parallel with the emergence of microscale robots, organ-on-a-chip technologies have become important in drug discovery and physiological modeling. These systems reproduce organ-level functions in microfluidic devices, and can also incorporate specific biological, chemical, and physical aspects of a disease. This review highlights recent developments in both microrobotics and organ-on-a-chip technologies and envisions their combined use for developing future drug delivery systems.

Surface Modification of PDMS-Based Microfluidic Devices with Collagen Using Polydopamine as a Spacer to Enhance Primary Human Bronchial Epithelial Cell Adhesion

“…Organ-on-a-chip platforms can recapitulate the complexity of tissues and organs to some extent by combining cellular and extracellular cues in the chip. In addition to promising features such as providing tissue barriers and hydrodynamic forces that organ-on-a-chip devices offer, the inner surface of organ-on-a-chip devices can be coated with extracellular matrix (ECM) components to resemble the native cellular microenvironment and improve cellular adhesion [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ].…”

Microfluidics: Recent Advances Toward Lab‐on‐Chip Applications in Bioanalysis

“…Organ‐on‐a‐chip devices combine microfluidics with tissue culture that simulates to the real environment to control and test dead cells and deliver the drugs through microrobots, [ 158 ] as shown in Figure . Microrobots (μ‐robots) are very small robots (<1 mm) that carry out certain tasks in the human body such as drug release and repair of the cells.…”

“…These μ‐robot technology can be easily deployed with a range of microfluidic technologies for tissue repair, surgery, regenerative medicine, and drug delivery. [ 158 ]…”

“…Reproduced with permission. [ 158 ] Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License CC‐BY‐4.0…”

A vascularized bone-on-a-chip model development via exploring mechanical stimulation for evaluation of fracture healing therapeutics

“…Non-invasive actuation like piezo electric and magnetic actuation is observed to be of recent research interest for microsystem researchers. [15,16] Magnetic actuators are easy to operate and can be used to generate strain in a controlled manner for mechanical stimulation. Recently, magnetic actuation-based mechanotransduction has been explored in organoid culture, glial cell culture, and canceron-a-chip models.…”