(556b) Microphysiological Systems for Emulating Human Tissues and Diseases

Microphysiological systems are microfluidic three-dimensional miniature human tissue and organ models that recapitulate the important biological and physiological parameters of their in vivo counterparts. They have recently emerged as a viable platform for personalized medicine and drug screening. These biomimetic organoids are anticipated to replace the conventional planar, static cell cultures, and to bridge the gaps between the current pre-clinical animal models and the human body. In addition, multiple organoids may be channeled together through the microfluidics in a similar manner they arrange in vivo, providing the capacity to analyze interactions among these models. In this talk, I will discuss our recent efforts on developing integrated multi-organ-on-a-chip platforms formed by sophisticated microfluidics and bioengineered organoids, which can operate in a continual and automated manner over extended periods. I will also discuss a series of bioprinting strategies including sacrificial bioprinting, microfluidic bioprinting, and multi-material bioprinting, along with various cytocompatible bioink formulations, for the fabrication of biomimetic organoids. These platform technologies will likely provide new opportunities in constructing functional tissue and disease models with a potential extension into clinical therapeutics and precision therapy.