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Biomaterials Translational ›› 2024, Vol. 5 ›› Issue (4): 411-424.doi: 10.12336/biomatertransl.2024.04.006

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Cardiac organ chip: advances in construction and application

Jun Li1, Honghao Hou2, Qian Li1, Junjie Liu2, Yunlong Zhao3,4, Chaoran Zhao2, Zhentao Li(), Leyu Wang1,*(), Xiaozhong Qiu2,*()   

  1. 1 Department of Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
    2 Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Construction and Detection in Tissue Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
    3 Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
    4 National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, UK

Abstract:

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide, and effective treatment for cardiac disease has been a research focal point. Although the development of new drugs and strategies has never ceased, the existing drug development process relies primarily on rodent models such as mice, which have significant shortcomings in predicting human responses. Therefore, human–based in vitro cardiac tissue models are considered to simulate physiological and functional characteristics more effectively, advancing disease treatment and drug development. The microfluidic device simulates the physiological functions and pathological states of the human heart by culture, thereby reducing the need for animal experimentation and enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of the research. The basic framework of cardiac chips typically includes multiple functional units, effectively simulating different parts of the heart and allowing the observation of cardiac cell growth and responses under various drug treatments and disease conditions. To date, cardiac chips have demonstrated significant application value in drug development, toxicology testing, and the construction of cardiac disease models; they not only accelerate drug screening but also provide a new research platform for understanding cardiac diseases. In the future, with advancements in functionality, integration, and personalised medicine, cardiac chips will further simulate multiorgan systems, becoming vital tools for disease modelling and precision medicine. Here, we emphasised the development history of cardiac organ chips, highlighted the material selection and construction strategy of cardiac organ chip electrodes and hydrogels, introduced the current application scenarios of cardiac organ chips, and discussed the development opportunities and prospects for their of biomedical applications.

Key words: cardiac organ chip, drug, cardiac disease, microenvironment, microfluidic