Abstract

Reverse Bioengineering of Living Systems For Drug Discovery

Ken-ichiro Kamei, Associate Professor, Kyoto University

One of the ultimate goals of bioengineering is to re-create natural living systems by means of synthetic biology and tissue engineering. The long-term mission of our laboratory is to recapitulate the in vivo physiology and pathology on a microfluidic device, such as “Body-on-a-Chip” (BoC) or “Microphysiological Systems” (MPSs). Indeed, OOC/MPSs exhibit great potential as alternatives for pre-clinical animal tests to assess drug efficacy and safety. Although several chips and systems have been reported in the last decade, there are still some important issues that need to be addressed; these include: 1) the use of functional tissue cells derived from human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC), 2) the alternatives of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to prevent chemical absorption, and 3) the integration of in situ monitoring systems to monitor cellular responses. Here, our interdisciplinary approach of stem cell biology, material science, and micro/nano-engineering will be introduced to address the aforementioned issues involved in drug discovery and precision medicine.