Toward a modular, integrated, miniaturized, and portable microfluidic flow control architecture for organs-on-chips applications

Abstract

Microfluidic organs-on-chips (OoCs) technology has emerged as the trend for in vitro functional modeling of organs in recent years. Simplifying the complexities of the human organs under controlled perfusion of required fluids paves the way for accurate prediction of human organ functionalities and their response to interventions like exposure to drugs. However, in the state-of-the-art OoC, the existing methods to control fluids use external bulky peripheral components and systems much larger than the chips used in experiments. A new generation of compact microfluidic flow control systems is needed to overcome this challenge. This study first presents a structured classification of OoC devices according to their types and microfluidic complexities. Next, we suggest three fundamental fluid flow control mechanisms and define component configurations for different levels of OoC complexity for each respective mechanism. Finally, we propose an architecture integrating modular microfluidic flow control components and OoC devices on a single platform. We emphasize the need for miniaturization of flow control components to achieve portability, minimize sample usage, minimize dead volume, improve the flowing time of fluids to the OoC cell chamber, and enable long-duration experiments.

An Insight on Microfluidic Organ-on-a-Chip Models for PM2.5-Induced Pulmonary Complications

“…After being incorporated into the organ-on-a-chip, the cells are subsequently cultured into the microfluidic system in which they are allowed to mature, as a result of which the cells get matured into tissues. This accomplishes two tasks at once, i.e., it arranges and maintains cells in the organ-on-a-chip in the culture and it also allows the organ fluid to connect tissue components in a way that replicates their connectivity. , There is no predetermined geometry for the organ-on-chip models; however, they can be classified into single-channel, double-channel, and multichannel chips based on their number of channels. , The most frequently employed type of chips is double-channel chips, which comprise a centimeter-sized chip that contains two separate channels joined with each other by a porous membrane . The organ-on-a-chip structure can also have its respective subtypes that rely on the organ that it creates.…”

“… 104 , 119 There is no predetermined geometry for the organ-on-chip models; however, they can be classified into single-channel, double-channel, and multichannel chips based on their number of channels. 113 , 120 The most frequently employed type of chips is double-channel chips, which comprise a centimeter-sized chip that contains two separate channels joined with each other by a porous membrane. 121 The organ-on-a-chip structure can also have its respective subtypes that rely on the organ that it creates.…”

Bayesian machine learning optimization of microneedle design for biological fluid sampling

“…24 ISF pressure is assumed to be 4.0 mmHg (∼530 Pa) and extraction pressure is assumed to be 4.5 kPa based on average human finger pulse. 17 Bernoulli's incompressible flow principle states that sum of flow work, kinetic energy, and potential energy of the fluid remains constant throughout a rigid channel 25 Bernoulli's equation can be implemented as:…”

Modular Microfluidics: Current Status and Future Prospects

“…An important application scenario for modular microfluidic systems is where many different module combinations need to be tested. For example, in the study of organson-chips, researchers are often interested in studying the interactions between multiple organs/tissues [81]. Modular microfluidic technology can provide convenience for studying an arbitrary combination of different organ chips.…”