Towards establishing human body-on-a-chip systems

Abstract

Body-on-a-chip (BoC) platforms are established from multiple organs-on-chips (OoCs) to recapitulate the interactions between different tissues. Recently, Vunjak-Novakovic and colleagues reported the creation of a BoC system comprising four fluidically linked OoCs. Herein, the major innovations in their BoC system are discussed, followed by our future perspectives on enhancing the physiological relevance and scalability of BoCs for applications in studying disease mechanisms, testing potential therapeutics, and developing personalized medicine.