Organoid-on-a-Chip Model Development
Microfluidic organoid-on-a-chip models integrate multiple organs alongside the brain and spinal cord, enhancing research and drug screening processes for diseases. Employing cutting-edge expertise in rare neurologic disorders, Protheragen build exacting organoid-on-a-chip models for rapid preclinical drug testing and execuitive preclinical services. Our goal is to provide complete reliable guiding support for effortless traversing through the R&D pipeline.
Overview of Organoid-on-a-Chip Models
Organoid-on-a-chip technology is an intersection of several areas such as stem cell biology, microfluidics, and tissue engineering. The models consist of 3D organoids and microfluidic devices, which not only simulate the architecture of biological systems, but also incorporate features of the brain microenvironment such as fluid dynamics, mechanical forces, and multicellular interactions.
Fig.1 Schematic representation of methods used to integrate, culture, and analyze organoids in chip devices. (Papamichail L, et al., 2025)
Advantages of Organoid-on-a-Chip Models
Recent breakthroughs regarding the simulation of rare neurological disorders highlight the issues with traditional 2D microfluidic systems, particularly in relation to the modeling of human disorders' pathophysiology. Organoid-on-a-chip models have resolved this concern with their three dimensional structure and multicellular interactions, which enable remarkable physiological relevance.
| Models | 3D Organoid-on-a-Chip Models | 2D Microfluidic Models |
| Physiological Relevance | Recapitulates 3D tissue architecture (e.g., cortical layers, myelination) and cell-cell interactions. | Limited to flat, monolayered cell structures lacking tissue complexity. |
| Disease Modeling | Preserves patient-specific mutations and phenotypic hallmarks. | Often fails to capture disease-specific pathology due to oversimplified cell systems. |
| Cell Diversity | Contains neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes in native-like ratios. | Typically restricted to 1-2 cell types, missing critical glial interactions. |
| Microenvironment | Dynamic flow mimics shear stress, nutrient gradients, and BBB-like barriers. | Static or simplified flow conditions; lacks biomechanical cues. |
| Drug Screening | Enables high-content assays (e.g., neurite outgrowth, synaptic activity) in a human-relevant system. | Limited predictive power for drug efficacy/toxicity due to artificial cell arrangements. |
| Vascularization | Emerging models incorporate perfusable vascular networks. | No intrinsic vasculature; diffusion-dependent nutrient exchange. |
| Long-Term Viability | Stable for weeks to months. | Prone to rapid dedifferentiation or death beyond short-term experiments. |
| Multi-Organ Integration | Compatible with linked systems. | Difficult to scale for inter-organ crosstalk studies. |
Our Services
Due to the inadequacies associated with 2D microfluidic models, Protheragen emphasizes premier services in the development of organoid-on-a-chip models. Meeting the various research objectives of our clients is achieved through offering numerous custom models. These advanced models are pertinent to human applications, thus allowing thorough drug development and preclinical research along with detailed mechanistic investigations.
Organoid-on-a-Chip Model Development Services
Brain-on-a-Chip Models
We engineer patient-specific neural organoids with functional cortical layers, glial interactions, and vascular networks to model rare neurological disorders for precision drug testing and mechanistic studies.
Spinal Cord-on-a-Chip Models
Our physiologically relevant 3D platforms replicate motor neuron circuits with neuromuscular junctions and blood-spinal cord barriers to accelerate therapeutic development for rare motor neuron diseases.
Multi-Organ Microphysiological Systems
Interconnected organ-chip platforms model cross-tissue interactions by linking brain, liver, heart, or gut modules to study systemic drug effects, metabolic crosstalk, and multi-organ disease mechanisms in rare neurological disorders with peripheral involvement.
Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) Models
Human-relevant BBB chips incorporate flow-driven endothelial-astrocyte co-cultures to study drug penetrance and barrier dysfunction in leukodystrophies and neurodegenerative diseases.
Key Features of Organoid-on-a-Chip Models
- Clinically Relevant Architecture
- Patient-Specific Precision
- Advanced Microphysiological Systems
- Integrated Functional Analysis
- High-Content Validation
- End-to-End Customization
Organoid-on-a-chip models developed by Protheragen fully comply with ethical and regulatory requirements, and these validated systems provide a highly physiologically relevant platform for key preclinical studies suitable for comprehensive pharmacodynamic (PD), pharmacokinetic (PK) and toxicology studies. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us for more details and quotation information of related services.
Reference
- Papamichail L, Koch L S, Veerman D, et al. Organoids-on-a-chip: microfluidic technology enables culture of organoids with enhanced tissue function and potential for disease modeling[J]. Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 2025, 13: 1515340.