Integration of polymeric 3D scaffolds within a perfused organ-on-a-chip system for the development of a soft organ model

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An important research strand in biomaterials is the development of in-lab grown organs, which are increasingly mimicking the structural and biological complexity of human organs. These organs-on-a-chip (OOAC/microphysiological systems) are increasingly developed as an alternative to the use of animals in pharmaceutical testing. The field of OOACs is currently emerging beyond academic research and a number of companies are currently establishing themselves as key players in the field. One of these companies is CN-Bio, who have developed a complete microphysiological OOAC system that can investigate multi-organ interactions, and provide a standardised chip/plate based system to investigate drug toxicity and more. In this project we will collaborate with CN-Bio to develop polymeric scaffolds enabling 3D cell culture and incorporate these into the CNBio perfusion system. We will develop soft and flexible polymeric systems to target the development of soft organ models within an organ-on-a-chip systems. These in vitro models will be used to explore healthy and diseased tissue models. For example, we could aim to explore inflamed and cancer tissue models. If successful, this device will fill an important unmet need as a multifaceted organ model/in vitro testing platform.