Modular Organ-on-a-Chip Platform Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing organ-on-a-chip systems are complex, costly, and difficult to assemble and disassemble, making them inefficient for studying cellular interactions and obtaining reliable pharmacokinetic data.
Innovation Solution
A modular organ-on-a-chip platform with a cartridge design that includes organ chips, a receptacle for blood or blood equivalent medium, and a cover layer, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly, direct fluid supply to all chips, and reduced risk of blockages and contamination, with features like permeable membranes and fluid impermeable partitions for controlled fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional organ-on-a-chip systems use individual chips with separate conduits and pumps, then each chip can be individually perfused, but the system becomes complex and difficult to construct
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into modular chip units that can be independently configured and assembled. Each chip maintains its own membrane structure and cell culture compartments, allowing individual perfusion capabilities while being part of a larger integrated system. The modular design enables researchers to assemble only the necessary chip combinations for specific experiments.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple individual chip systems are merged into a single integrated platform where chips share common infrastructure elements such as the blood equivalent medium reservoir, cover layer, and overall housing. This consolidation reduces the number of separate pumps and external conduits needed while maintaining individual chip perfusion through shared fluid pathways.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional organ-on-a-chip systems use multiple chips with respective conduits and pumps, then individual chip control is achieved, but assembly and disassembly become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs separable modular components including removable chip units, detachable cover layers, and accessible reservoirs. This segmentation allows individual chips to be easily inserted and removed from the housing without disassembling the entire system, facilitating simple assembly and disassembly while maintaining individual chip control capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing and cover layer are designed as universal components that can accommodate different chip configurations and types. Standardized interfaces and mounting mechanisms allow the same housing structure to support various chip arrangements, enabling easy reconfiguration and assembly for different experimental needs.
3Reliability
If traditional organ-on-a-chip systems use extensive pipe systems, then fluid delivery to each chip is achieved, but blockages and contamination risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts and eliminates unnecessary external piping by integrating fluid delivery directly into the chip structure and housing. Blood equivalent medium is delivered through minimized internal pathways and direct contact with chip membranes, removing multiple connection points where blockages and contamination could occur while maintaining effective fluid delivery to all chips.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses flexible membranes and thin film structures for fluid delivery pathways within the chips, replacing rigid external pipes. These flexible films reduce the number of hard connections and potential leak points, while their smooth surfaces minimize areas where contaminants can accumulate, thereby reducing blockage and contamination risks.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The modular design facilitates cost-effective, high-throughput analysis and pharmacokinetic evaluations by simplifying the assembly process, reducing contamination risks, and enabling comprehensive monitoring of cellular behavior under various conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a membrane having an upper side and a lower side each configured for cell culture, wherein the membrane is permeable to fluids
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein is a modular organ-on-a-chip platform, configured for cultivating cells, tissues, organoids and organelles and capable of performing high throughput analyses, including pharmacokinetic evaluations.