Bionic Simulator Based on Organ-Explant-Chip

In the drug discovery and regenerative medicine research, in vitro models based on cells or tissues are widely desired for attaining reliable data and high throughput as well as ethical concerns. This model: “bionic simulator” is required to simulate the biological function in the context of whole living organs. In this chapter, to achieve an organ-explant-chip for evaluating the function of an explanted biological organ by the mechanical system, we focused on the connection technique because we need to reconstruct the explanted organs or tissues as part of the biological simulator by connecting them with the external environment, other organs, and tissues. By using this microfluidic device, we have succeeded in constructing a hybrid circulatory system between artificial tubes and the explanted heart. Moreover, we have succeeded in measuring the response of the explanted heart with a variety of solutions. We confirmed from the response of the explanted heart to agonist drugs that the explanted organ maintained normal function.