Gut-on-a-chip: Current progress and future opportunities

Nureddin Ashammakhi; Rohollah Nasiri; Natan Roberto de Barros; Peyton Tebon; Jai Thakor; Marcus Goudie; Amir Shamloo; Martin G Martin; Ali Khademhosseini

doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.120196

Gut-on-a-chip: Current progress and future opportunities

Biomaterials. 2020 Oct:255:120196. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.120196. Epub 2020 Jun 14.

Authors

Nureddin Ashammakhi¹, Rohollah Nasiri², Natan Roberto de Barros³, Peyton Tebon⁴, Jai Thakor⁴, Marcus Goudie⁴, Amir Shamloo⁵, Martin G Martin⁶, Ali Khademhosseini⁷

Affiliations

¹ Center for Minimally Invasive Therapeutics (C-MIT), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Radiological Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: n.ashammakhi@ucla.edu.
² Center for Minimally Invasive Therapeutics (C-MIT), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran 11365-11155, Iran.
³ Center for Minimally Invasive Therapeutics (C-MIT), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: nbarros@terasaki.org.
⁴ Center for Minimally Invasive Therapeutics (C-MIT), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁵ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran 11365-11155, Iran.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁷ Center for Minimally Invasive Therapeutics (C-MIT), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Radiological Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: khademh@terasaki.org.

Abstract

Organ-on-a-chip technology tries to mimic the complexity of native tissues in vitro. Important progress has recently been made in using this technology to study the gut with and without microbiota. These in vitro models can serve as an alternative to animal models for studying physiology, pathology, and pharmacology. While these models have greater physiological relevance than two-dimensional (2D) cell systems in vitro, endocrine and immunological functions in gut-on-a-chip models are still poorly represented. Furthermore, the construction of complex models, in which different cell types and structures interact, remains a challenge. Generally, gut-on-a-chip models have the potential to advance our understanding of the basic interactions found within the gut and lay the foundation for future applications in understanding pathophysiology, developing drugs, and personalizing medical treatments.

Keywords: Gut; Microfluidics; Microphysiological systems; Organ-on-a-chip; Tissue engineering.

Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Gastrointestinal Microbiome*
Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding