Biomechanics-driven Organ on Chip

Organ on-a-chip technology, a cutting-edge in vitro model, has attracted considerable attention owing to its capacity to mimic the microphysiological environment of human organs. Nevertheless, conventional organ-on-a-chip systems frequently overlook the critical roles of biomechanical factors when simulating human physiological functions. This study focuses on biomechanics-driven organ on chip technology and explores its innovative applications in biomedical engineering.

By precisely controlling mechanical stimuli including stretching, compression and shear force, our research team has successfully constructed a series of biomechanics-driven organ on chip models. These models can not only replicate the static structure of organs, but also reproduce the dynamic mechanical behaviours of organs under physiological conditions. For instance, the periodic “expansion‑contraction” motion of alveoli was simulated in a lung-on-a-chip, which markedly enhanced cellular functional expression and the physiological relevance of engineered tissues. Furthermore, our team integrated bioprinting technology and optimised printing parameters to improve the mechanical properties and structural stability of bioprinted tissues, enabling the precise fabrication of complex tissue architectures.

Biomechanically driven organ-on-a-chip platforms exhibit remarkable advantages in recapitulating human physiological and pathological processes. Compared with traditional static culture methods, such devices can reflect cell growth, differentiation and metabolic processes with higher fidelity, thereby providing a more reliable platform for drug screening, disease investigation and personalised medicine.

Di Huang obtained his PhD degree in 2012 in Biomedical Engineering from Sichuan University, China. Now he is a full professor at Research Center for Nano-biomaterials & Regenerative Medicine, College of Artificial Intelligence in Taiyuan University of Technology, China. During the period 2018-2019 he joined Dr. Yu Shrike Zhang’s Lab in Havard Medical School for one year as a visiting scientist. He has published over 200 articles in scientific journals, 10 authorized patents and several conference publications. His research is mainly focused on Biomaterials, Bioprinting and Organ on Chips.