Organs-on-a-Chip

This chapter explores organs-on-a-chip, miniaturized bioprinted organ tissues enclosed in a microfluidic housing (microfluidics refers to very small-scale plumbing) that can mimic functions of human physiology or disease and are particularly effective when multiple tissue types—for example, lung, heart, and liver—can interact on the same chip. The chapter sets forth the historical evolution of organs-on-a-chip and instances several studies. In one investigation, experimenters found a totally unexpected result in which a drug produced an inflammation of lung tissue that in turn led to toxic results in nearby heart tissue. In another inquiry, researchers focused on a bioprinted, functional, airway-on-a-chip to characterize inflammatory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease and vet potential medications for their treatment. Their work included quantitative comparisons of normal lung tissue and asthmatic lung tissue to a variety of insults, including household dust mites.