TY - JOUR
KW - Drug Delivery Systems
KW - Drug Discovery
KW - Female
KW - Genitalia, Female
KW - Humans
KW - IVF
KW - Lab-On-A-Chip Devices
KW - microfluidics
KW - microphysiological systems
KW - organ-on-a-chip
KW - Pregnancy
KW - Preterm birth
KW - Reproductive biology and medicine
KW - Reproductive system
KW - Tissue engineering
AU - Rachel E. Young
AU - Dan Dongeun Huh
AB - Over the past decade, organs-on-a-chip and microphysiological systems have emerged as a disruptive in vitro technology for biopharmaceutical applications. By enabling new capabilities to engineer physiological living tissues and organ units in the precisely controlled environment of microfabricated devices, these systems offer great promise to advance the frontiers of basic and translational research in biomedical sciences. Here, we review an emerging body of interdisciplinary work directed towards harnessing the power of organ-on-a-chip technology for reproductive biology and medicine. The focus of this topical review is to provide an overview of recent progress in the development of microengineered female reproductive organ models with relevance to drug delivery and discovery. We introduce the engineering design of these advanced in vitro systems and examine their applications in the study of pregnancy, infertility, and reproductive diseases. We also present two case studies that use organ-on-a-chip design principles to model placental drug transport and hormonally regulated crosstalk between multiple female reproductive organs. Finally, we discuss challenges and opportunities for the advancement of reproductive organ-on-a-chip technology.
BT - Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews
DA - 2021-06
DO - 10.1016/j.addr.2021.03.010
LA - eng
N2 - Over the past decade, organs-on-a-chip and microphysiological systems have emerged as a disruptive in vitro technology for biopharmaceutical applications. By enabling new capabilities to engineer physiological living tissues and organ units in the precisely controlled environment of microfabricated devices, these systems offer great promise to advance the frontiers of basic and translational research in biomedical sciences. Here, we review an emerging body of interdisciplinary work directed towards harnessing the power of organ-on-a-chip technology for reproductive biology and medicine. The focus of this topical review is to provide an overview of recent progress in the development of microengineered female reproductive organ models with relevance to drug delivery and discovery. We introduce the engineering design of these advanced in vitro systems and examine their applications in the study of pregnancy, infertility, and reproductive diseases. We also present two case studies that use organ-on-a-chip design principles to model placental drug transport and hormonally regulated crosstalk between multiple female reproductive organs. Finally, we discuss challenges and opportunities for the advancement of reproductive organ-on-a-chip technology.
PY - 2021
SP - 461
EP - 478
T2 - Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews
TI - Organ-on-a-chip technology for the study of the female reproductive system
VL - 173
SN - 1872-8294
ER -