Miniaturization in Chemistry and Molecular Biology

Miniaturization in the fields of chemistry and molecular biology has resulted in the "lab-on-a-chip." Such systems are micro-fabricated devices capable of handling extremely small fluid volumes facilitating the scaling of single or multiple lab processes down to a microchip-sized format. The convergence of lab-on-a-chip technology with the field of cell biology facilitated the development of "organ-on-a-chip" systems. Such systems simulate the function of tissues and organs, having the potential to bypass some cell and animal testing methods. These technologies have generated high interest as applications for disease modeling and drug discovery.

About the Book

This book, edited by Drs. Sean Murphy and Anthony Atala, provides a comprehensive coverage of the technologies that have been used to develop organ-on-a-chip systems. Known leaders cover the basics to the most relevant and novel topics in the field, including micro-fabrication, 3D bio-printing, 3D cell culture techniques, biosensor design and microelectronics, micro-fluidics, data collection, and predictive analysis. The book describes specific tissue types amenable for disease modeling and drug discovery applications. Lung, liver, heart, skin and kidney "on-a-chip" technologies are included as well as a progress report on designing an entire "body-on-a-chip" system. Additionally, the book covers applications of various systems for modeling tissue-specific cancers, metastasis, and tumor microenvironments; and provides an overview of current and potential applications of these systems to disease modeling, toxicity testing, and individualized medicine.