Researcher develop 3D organ on a chip

University of Cambridge researchers have led a team that has developed a 3D organ on a chip device that facilitates real-time continuous monitoring of cells, and could be used to develop new treatments for disease. The device incorporates cells inside a 3D electrochemical transistor made from a conducting polymer sponge which provides a more natural environment for cells, and is key to the success of organ on chip technology in predicting the response of an organ to different stimuli. The cells are grown within the structure and the whole thing is put inside a plastic tube through which the necessary nutrients for the cells can flow. Because the cells grow three dimensionally, the device can copy the way that cells grow in the body more precisely than in the traditional two dimensional petri dish.
Dr Charalampos Pitsalidis, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology, and the study’s first author, said: “Three-dimensional cell cultures can help us identify new treatments and know which ones to avoid, if we can accurately monitor them. With this system, we can monitor the growth of the tissue, and its health in response to external drugs or toxins. Apart from toxicology testing, we can also induce a particular disease in the tissue, and study the key mechanisms involved in that disease or discover the right treatments.”
Dr Róisín Owens from Cambridge’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, said: “The majority of the cells in our body communicate with each other by electrical signals, so in order to monitor cell cultures in the lab, we need to attach electrodes to them. However, electrodes are pretty clunky and difficult to attach to cell cultures, so we decided to turn the whole thing on its head and put the cells inside the electrode.”