Abstract

What and Why do We Want to Make it? How do we Make it Now and What Could We Add?

John Alderman, Consultant, Technology for Industry

There are many ways to make lab (organ)-on-a-chip devices and some of those being used presently will be reviewed. Almost any device imaginable can now be made but should it and at what cost? Possible compromises and a brief look at some of the options available will be made where these range from low cost casting on moulds (typically made using techniques derived from electronics and the IC and PCB manufacturing fields), one off 3D printing of prototypes through to potentially high volume injection moulding. It is also important to consider the surrounding infrastructure required ranging from simple microfluidic interconnects and pumping, fully self-contained systems to multiple parallel duplicates making use of installed cell culturing facilities. However different objectives and demands are being explored making cost effective choices of the options difficult – no one solution fits all !! A brief look at possible future developments from integration of self-contained rfid and data storage to in-situ sensing and monitoring elements will then be discussed. Finally possible synergy of these devices with and as an aid towards chip-in-an-organ developments will be aired.