Collection

Applied Life Sciences: New Frontiers and Evolution of Organ-on-Chips for the Understanding of High Impact Diseases towards New Approaches for Drugs Discover and Personalized Medicine

Submission status
Open
Open for submission from
27 March 2024
Submission deadline
30 September 2024
In the last decade, a very detailed understanding of the biological, molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying the onset of high-impact diseases (cancers, heart diseases, and neural disorders) has been achieved. This understanding, however, has brought out the need to develop new technological approaches capable of reproducing models, which are significant for clinical cases. The tools currently available to researchers are, in fact, primary cell cultures and animal models capable of mimicking some aspects of the onset and progression of specific diseases, but, to date, there is still a lack of truly reliable models capable of mimicking the functions of organs and tissues. In recent years, this need has directed research towards the so-called "Organ-on-a-Chip" models: virtual organs built in the laboratory capable of replicating the dynamics of tissues in vitro, while at the same time favoring the collection of a multiplicity of data and information to create predictive models of pathology. Together with advances in microfluidic technologies and tissue engineering approaches, organ-on-chip technologies have enabled the fabrication of growth environments that benefit from both human studies and animal models. This topical collection explores the new frontiers and evolution of Organ-on-Chips, with the aim of depicting the new way in which researchers are approaching Organ-on-Chips design (i.e., CAD design tools, FEM, CFD other types of simulations), the new involved technologies (i.e., 3D printing and rapid prototyping, microfluidics), the new functionalities (i.e., integration of biosensors), materials, liquid handling (i.e., pumps and other components), scaling up of the fabrication and automation.

Editors

  • Simone Luigi Marasso Simone Luigi Marasso , 

    Simone Luigi Marasso

    Simone Luigi Marasso, PhD, CNR-IMEM, Italy. Since 2018, he has been involved in the foundation of the Piemonte Quantum Enabling Technology LAB, in which he is contributing for the cleanroom design and set-up. His expertise in the process implementation, gained in the laboratory research work, will allow to define the design, select the better materials and solutions for the fabrication of the sensors and their integration in the Organ on a Chip biosensing platform.

  • Francesca Frascella Francesca Frascella  &

    Francesca Frascella

    Francesca Frascella, PhD, Politecnico di Torino, Italy. Her research activity is mainly focused on bio nanotechnologies, smart materials for 3D printing, lab-on-chip micro-nanofluidic devices for biomedical applications and high-tech materials in the biomedical field, with particular attention to innovative surface modifications of electromechanical (e.g., microcantilevers), optical (one-dimensional photonic crystals, metamaterials) and electrochemical diagnostic devices.

  • Lucia Napione Lucia Napione

    Lucia Napione

    Lucia Napione, PhD, Politecnico di Torino, Italy. Her main interests are related to: i) new materials, 3D bioprinting, micro/nanotechnology applications in basic and biomedical research, particularly in the context of high-impact diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and cardiovascular disease; ii) vascular and cancer cell biology and biochemistry; iii) high-sensitivity sensor devices for biomarker detection; iv) 3D cell/tissue models to simulate and study physiological and pathological conditions; v) lab-on-a-chip; vi) organ-on-a-chip.

Articles

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