Engineering vascularised organoid-on-a-chip: strategies, advances and future perspectives

• Published in: Biomaterials translational Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 21
• Main Authors: Li, Zhangjie, Yu, Dingyuan, Zhou, Chenyang, Wang, Feifan, Lu, Kangyi, Liu, Yijun, Xu, Jiaqi, Xuan, Lian, Wang, Xiaolin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China 2024
• Subjects: vascularisation; tissue engineering; microfluidic chip; drug screening; organoids
• ISSN: 2096-112X; 2096-112X
• DOI: 10.12336/biomatertransl.2024.01.003

In recent years, advances in microfabrication technology and tissue engineering have propelled the development of a novel drug screening and disease modelling platform known as organoid-on-a-chip. This platform integrates organoids and organ-on-a-chip technologies, emerging as a promising approach for in vitro modelling of human organ physiology. Organoid-on-a-chip devices leverage microfluidic systems to simulate the physiological microenvironment of specific organs, offering a more dynamic and flexible setting that can mimic a more comprehensive human biological context. However, the lack of functional vasculature has remained a significant challenge in this technology. Vascularisation is crucial for the long-term culture and in vitro modelling of organoids, holding important implications for drug development and personalised medical approaches. This review provides an overview of research progress in developing vascularised organoid-on-a-chip models, addressing methods for in vitro vascularisation and advancements in vascularised organoids. The aim is to serve as a reference for future endeavors in constructing fully functional vascularised organoid-on-a-chip platforms.