Beyond PDMS and Membranes: New Materials for Organ-on-a-Chip Devices

The field of organ-on-a-chip engineering is focused on dynamically controlling the microphysiological environments that the cells are surrounded by in order to produce functional human or animal tissue counterparts that enable measurements of key physiological functions of native organs. This approach relies on engineered, microfabricated devices to drive the establishment of 3D tissues starting from either cell lines, primary cells, or human stem cells that often additionally feature integrated sensors to measure critical physiological properties (e.g., contractility). (1) Vasculature is often incorporated into these devices as well as the ability to mechanically and electrically stimulate embedded tissues.