Abstract

Engineering of Organotypic Tissue On-Chip Systems for Disease Modeling and Drug Testing

Mehdi Nikkhah, Associate Professor, Arizona State University

Engineering of ex vivo Tissue-On-Chip Technologies and Microphysiological Systems has gained significant attention in recent years for a wide range of applications in disease modeling, drug screening, and personalized medicine. These technologies have immensely benefited the fields of experimental biology and medicine in the ability to address the limitations of animal models by providing precise control over cell-cell, cell-matrix, and cell-microenvironmental factors interactions. In the past few years, we have been extensively involved in the development of next-generation tissue on-chip technologies through the integration of microfluidic systems, 3D biomaterials, and patient-derived cells. We have successfully engineered and validated numerous disease-on-chip models, including tumor-on-chip and heart-on-chip technologies, to study cancer progression and cardiovascular abnormalities. Using these model systems, we have been able to mechanistically investigate how microenvironmental and genetic risk factors lead to disease progression. Additionally, we have shown the capabilities of these model systems for enhanced drug testing. This seminar will provide an overview of our major findings from these projects.