Translational Roadmap for the Organs-on-a-Chip Industry toward Broad Adoption

Abstract

Organs-on-a-Chip (OOAC) is a disruptive technology with widely recognized potential to change the efficiency, effectiveness, and costs of the drug discovery process; to advance insights into human biology; to enable clinical research where human trials are not feasible. However, further development is needed for the successful adoption and acceptance of this technology. Areas for improvement include technological maturity, more robust validation of translational and predictive in vivo-like biology, and requirements of tighter quality standards for commercial viability. In this review, we reported on the consensus around existing challenges and necessary performance benchmarks that are required toward the broader adoption of OOACs in the next five years, and we defined a potential roadmap for future translational development of OOAC technology. We provided a clear snapshot of the current developmental stage of OOAC commercialization, including existing platforms, ancillary technologies, and tools required for the use of OOAC devices, and analyze their technology readiness levels. Using data gathered from OOAC developers and end-users, we identified prevalent challenges faced by the community, strategic trends and requirements driving OOAC technology development, and existing technological bottlenecks that could be outsourced or leveraged by active collaborations with academia.

Lung on a Chip Development from Off-Stoichiometry Thiol–Ene Polymer

“…However, microscopy remains a critical LOAC and OOC evaluation aspect, and many of the experimental results are dependent on reflective/transmissive light microscopy and confocal microscopy [ 72 , 73 ]. A notable drawback of OSTE material is the optical characteristics.…”

A Microfluidic Chip for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

“…The limitations of our model may arise from the innate ability of PDMS to sequester small hydrophobic molecules 72 but these can be addressed by surface modi cations and the use of different fabrication materials 73 . Future sourcing of patient-derived cells and introducing other cell types will be a vital consideration as a single micro uidic device, which accommodates only 2-3 different cell types, is unlikely to fully re ect complex pathophysiology of the disease.…”

Refining Host-Pathogen Interactions: Organ-on-Chip Side of the Coin

“…Adoption of organ-on-chip technologies is also limited due to the technical knowledge required for device design and the lack of integration with available high-throughput screening systems [91]. In terms of the validation and quality control of organ chips, concerns still exist that require universal device design and device fabrication and extensive testing to prove robustness and reproducibility before reaching a translational stage to enable specific regulations and standardization for greater adoption of the devices [92]. Finally, organomimetic devices usually require operational equipment that apply mechanical forces to the cells and the flow of fluid through the microfluidic channels, making it difficult to adapt and expensive to set-up [93].…”