Micropumping chip module for a standardized and modular organ-on-chip platform

Organ-on-Chip (OoC) is a game-changing technology in which human cells are cultured in microfluidic chips to mimic and predict the physiology and pathology of human tissues, as well as to provide insights into drug and disease mechanisms. However, current limitations in manufacturing and technical usability of existing OoC approaches must be overcome in order for industry and regulators to adopt OoCs. Our goal is therefore to develop a Standardized and Modular open-technology OoC platform as a new Approach to Recapitulate human Tissues (SMART OoC), that enables the integration of a novel microfluidic pump. This platform is a further development of the Translational OoC Platform (TOP), which includes a plate with an integrated microfluidic channel network with standardized fluid input/output ports, to which exchangeable chip modules can be connected [1]. To provide fluid pumping to the platform, we are developing a novel micropumping chip module based on magnetic artificial cilia (MAC) [2]. MAC are flexible rod-shaped magnetic micro-actuators inspired by biological cilia, made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) containing magnetic microparticles. MAC can induce microfluidic flow and particle transport when integrated into a microfluidic module and actuated with an external magnet. In this research, we present a novel miniaturized actuation setup for actuating biocompatible MAC integrated in a versatile microfluidic module that generates a variety of fluid flow regimes in the OoC platform. In comparison to other micropumping methods, this module does not require tubings or electrical connections, which opens up a wide range of possibilities for OoC applications.