BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology is calling for submissions to our Collection on Advances in microphysiological systems and organs-on-chips technologies. This Collection aims to explore cutting-edge advancements of in vitro microphysiological systems in basic physiological and pathological purposes, modeling human disorders, drug delivery approaches, and clinical response of therapeutics and personalized medicine.
Microphysiological systems are breakthrough innovations to recapitulate complex human physiology in vitro, and facilitate more precise clinical prediction compared to previous preclinical models (e.g. cell-culture and animal models). These systems are created by merging several threads of science and technology in pharmacology, toxicology, and biomedical engineering and exist in different forms from an Organ-on-a-Chip to Organs-on-Chips (OoCs). These innovations represent a paradigm shift in how we model human biology in vitro, offering opportunities to mimic the complexities of human organs and tissues with remarkable reliability. Through the integration of fundamental principles, researchers have inaugurated novel pathways for drug discovery, disease modeling, and toxicity assessment. These advancements serve to establish more efficient, ethically grounded, and predictive methodologies within the field of preclinical investigation. Future developments target to scale up production, enhance complexity for multi-organ interaction modeling, and broaden applications for personalized medicine and diverse drug screening. These efforts hold potential for transforming preclinical research and improving the accuracy of predicting human responses to pharmaceuticals and environmental toxins.
We invite pharmacologists, physiologists, toxicologists, and interdisciplinary researchers to explore the recent advancements in microphysiological systems and multiple-organs chips and contribute their robust science to our Collection. Key topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Novel developments in the design, fabrication (e.g. 3D bioprinting), and application of Organs-on-Chips and other microphysiological systems mimicking the structure and function of human organs
- Innovations in tissue culture (including 3D organoids), biomaterials, and scaffolding strategies to create physiologically relevant models for drug testing, disease modeling, and cell therapy
- Advancements in in vitro methodologies for studying drug metabolism, toxicity, and pharmacokinetics, with a focus on reproducibility and translatability
- Development and application of multi-organ microphysiological platforms as Human-on-a-Chip to recapitulate human physiology and pathology in vitro
- Miniaturized devices and microfluidic systems as Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) for high-throughput screening, diagnostic testing, and point-of-care applications in pharmacology and toxicology
- Engineering of microfluidic systems to control cell culture environments, simulate physiological flow conditions, and study cellular responses to chemical stimuli
- Integration of engineering principles with biological systems to design innovative solutions for drug delivery, tissue regeneration, disease modeling, personalized diagnosis and therapy
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.
Image credit: © [M] luchschenF / Stock.adobe.com
