Microphysiological Systems: Design, Fabrication, and Applications

Abstract

Microphysiological systems, including organoids, 3-D printed tissue constructs and organ-on-a-chips (organ chips), are physiologically relevant <i>in vitro</i> models and have experienced explosive growth in the past decades. Different from conventional, tissue culture plastic-based <i>in vitro</i> models or animal models, microphysiological systems recapitulate key microenvironmental characteristics of human organs and mimic their primary functions. The advent of microphysiological systems is attributed to evolving biomaterials, micro-/nanotechnologies and stem cell biology, which enable the precise control over the matrix properties and the interactions between cells, tissues and organs in physiological conditions. As such, microphysiological systems have been developed to model a broad spectrum of organs from microvasculature, eye, to lung and many others to understand human organ development and disease pathology and facilitate drug discovery. Multiorgans-on-a-chip systems have also been developed by integrating multiple associated organ chips in a single platform, which allows to study and employ the organ function in a systematic approach. Here we first discuss the design principles of microphysiological systems with a focus on the anatomy and physiology of organs, and then review the commonly used fabrication techniques and biomaterials for microphysiological systems. Subsequently, we discuss the recent development of microphysiological systems, and provide our perspectives on advancing microphysiological systems for preclinical investigation and drug discovery of human disease.