Controlling Microenvironments with Organs-on-Chips for Osteoarthritis Modelling

Osteoarthritis (OA) remains a prevalent disease affecting more than 20% of the global population, resulting in morbidity and lower quality of life for patients. The study of OA pathophysiology remains predominantly in animal models due to the complexities of mimicking the physiological environment surrounding the joint tissue. Recent development in microfluidic organ-on-chip (OoC) systems have demonstrated various techniques to mimic and modulate tissue physiological environments. Adaptations of these techniques have demonstrated success in capturing a joint tissue's tissue physiology for studying the mechanism of OA. Adapting these techniques and strategies can help create human-specific in vitro models that recapitulate the cellular processes involved in OA. This review aims to comprehensively summarise various demonstrations of microfluidic platforms in mimicking joint microenvironments for future platform design iterations.

Automated summary

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent disease worldwide, affecting over 20% of the population and leading to decreased quality of life for patients. Due to the complexity of mimicking joint tissue's physiological environment, the study of OA pathophysiology primarily relies on animal models. However, recent advancements in microfluidic organ-on-chip (OoC) systems have shown promise in replicating and manipulating tissue physiological environments. By adapting these techniques, it is possible to create human-specific in vitro models that accurately capture the cellular processes involved in OA. This review provides a comprehensive summary of various microfluidic platforms used to mimic joint microenvironments, with implications for future platform design iterations.