Microfluidic Organ-Chips and Infectious Diseases: Insights from the Development and Applications Perspective

Abstract

Artificial human organs or organ-on-chip technologies have rapidly evolved as a powerful tool for clinical diagnostics and drug discovery. Organ-on-chips, engineered microfluidic cell culture devices, reconstitute the microarchitecture and functions of living human organs by essentially mimicking the three-dimensional (3D) cross-sections of their major smallest functional units. The development of biomimetic microfluidic systems provided a bridge between the gap of in vitro and in vivo models by accommodating human cells in physiologically relevant microenvironments to accurately design and mimic the in vivo niche. Organ-on-chip technology is currently considered the most advanced model to recapitulate human physiology and pathophysiology with the possibility of using patient-specific cells. The implementation of new features such as the mechanical forces, blood flow, incorporation of immune cells with constant flow and the microbiome component represent a major step toward providing a window to the innerworkings of human cells and tissues. Currently, the most advanced organ-chip models include lung, intestine, kidney, liver, skin and blood-brain barrier. There are several applications of organ-chips including clinical diagnostics, drug discovery, drug delivery, biomarker discovery and disease modeling. Infectious disease research is an emerging field of organ- on-chip platforms. Investigations of bacterial, viral and parasitic pathogens and their interactions with host tissue in human-relevant systems hold the potential to drive novel advances in the biomedical field.