Towards human on a chip: recent progress and future perspective

Abstract

A system of multiple organs integrated on a single chip or human on a chip (HUC) has a great potential for drug discovery. Such a system helps to advance the fundamental understanding of diseases as well as the complex interac- tions between cells, tissues and organs. HUC models will potentially overcome the shortcomings of traditional animal models such as high cost, incompatibility with human physiology, the inability to control and manipulate the microenvi- ronment in vivo and the lack of efficacy. The matching length scale of biological structures and micromachined compo- nents makes a microfluidic chip the ideal platform to investigate physiological events. This paper presents an overview of the state of the art of the development of HUC. The paper also provides a perspective on the integration of cell culture on a chip to create an ethical human model and to provide insights into the sensitivity of different cell constructs on drugs.