Label Innovation has ventured into a new and exciting area…the field of microfluidic organs-on-a-chip (OOC). We bring our wealth of experience with specialized sealing films and bio-compatible adhesives to the table to help an organ-on-a-chip start-up find cost effective ways to mass produce  their microfluidic consumables.

An organ-on-a-chip is a multi-channel 3-D microfluidic cell culture chip that simulates the activities, mechanics and physiological response of entire organs and organ systems. It is, in a sense, a type of artificial organ. It constitutes the subject matter of significant biomedicalengineering research, more precisely in bio-MEMS. The convergence of labs-on-chips (LOCs) andcell biology has allowed the study of human physiology in an organ-specific context, introducing anovel model of in vitro multicellular human organisms. One day, they will perhaps abolish the need for animals in drug development and toxin testing.

Although multiple publications claim to have translated organ functions onto this interface, the movement towards this microfluidic application is still in its infancy. Organs-on-chips will vary in design and approach between different researchers. As such, validation and optimization of these systems will likely be a long process. Types of organs that have been simulated by microfluidic devices include the heart, the lung, kidney, artery, bone, cartilage, skin and more.