Organ-on-Chip: Biomedical Research and Cancer Modeling

In course

Description

This lecture explores the field of Organ-on-Chip, focusing on creating micro-environments to study tissue and organ function, disease progression, and drug development. The instructor, Prof. Jaap den Toonder, explains the philosophy, opportunities, and technologies of Organ-on-Chip, showcasing examples from cancer research. The lecture delves into the importance of Organ-on-Chip in revolutionizing drug development, reducing costs, and improving testing accuracy. It covers the use of induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, microfluidics, and microfabrication in creating advanced multi-cellular culture systems. Additionally, it discusses the modeling of cancer metastasis and the role of ECM stiffness in tumor progression.

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https://mediaspace.epfl.ch/media/0_888xmlk1

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Adult stem cell

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells, found throughout the body after development, that multiply by cell division to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues. Also known as somatic stem cells (from Greek σωματικóς, meaning of the body), they can be found in juvenile, adult animals, and humans, unlike embryonic stem cells. Scientific interest in adult stem cells is centered around two main characteristics.

Cancer stem cell

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are cancer cells (found within tumors or hematological cancers) that possess characteristics associated with normal stem cells, specifically the ability to give rise to all cell types found in a particular cancer sample. CSCs are therefore tumorigenic (tumor-forming), perhaps in contrast to other non-tumorigenic cancer cells. CSCs may generate tumors through the stem cell processes of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell types.

Stem-cell therapy

Stem-cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition. , the only established therapy using stem cells is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This usually takes the form of a bone-marrow transplantation, but the cells can also be derived from umbilical cord blood. Research is underway to develop various sources for stem cells as well as to apply stem-cell treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Microfluidics

Microfluidics refers to a system that manipulates a small amount of fluids ((10−9 to 10−18 liters) using small channels with sizes ten to hundreds micrometres. It is a multidisciplinary field that involves molecular analysis, biodefence, molecular biology, and microelectronics. It has practical applications in the design of systems that process low volumes of fluids to achieve multiplexing, automation, and high-throughput screening.

Stem cell controversy

The stem cell controversy is the consideration of the ethics of research involving the development and use of human embryos. Most commonly, this controversy focuses on embryonic stem cells. Not all stem cell research involves human embryos. For example, adult stem cells, amniotic stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells do not involve creating, using, or destroying human embryos, and thus are minimally, if at all, controversial.