ABSTRACT
This chapter describes techniques to create functional Three-Dimensional (3-D) human cell cultures. It discusses micro-engineered, microfluidic systems designed to contain these tissue organoids under physiological perfusion conditions. 3-D printing can be used to generate high-throughput scales with low variability while incorporating the complex microengineering required for high-functioning organ models. The chapter examines potential uses of the body-on-a-chip systems for drug and toxin screening and other applications. The body-on-a-chip platform may be used for pharmacological studies to determine the specific activities of newly developed drugs and reduce the time of dose escalation studies in clinical trials. Body-on-a-chip systems rely on highly functioning cellular models to generate physiologically relevant outputs such as xenobiotic metabolism, drug response, cardiac beating or contraction, and respiration. Impressive advancements were made in the transition from standard cell culture systems for modeling normal physiology, disease, and drug toxicity to multicellular tissue organoids.
