Organ-on-chip and 3D cell culture technology have been highlighted as promising ways to ease the cost and inefficiency of the drug development process. A wide range of technology in this arena has been developed; however, what comprises an 'ideal' 3D culture model has not been defined and translation has proven difficult.
A new article published in Future Science OA from Shery Huang and colleagues at the University of Cambridge (UK) has attempted to address this issue by determining the ideal qualities of such technology from the point of view of the end users, the biomedical community.
"Although a plethora of microfluidics-based culture models has been developed...the adaptation of these models to address biologically focused research questions is sparse," noted the authors.
The group designed a survey to assess acceptance of microfluidics-based 3D cell culture systems. Their results demonstrated a positive attitude towards the technology, although a gap remains between what is desired and what is available. In particular, the biomedical community required systems balancing complexity, user-friendliness, physiological relevance and controllability.
"In order to become a widely accepted tool in fundamental bioscience and pharmaceutical industry, 3D culture models have to find suitable research questions to address and impart tailored complexity, while overcoming drawbacks such as poor compatibility, relatively low throughput, limited functionality and lack of a standardized metric in cross-system comparison," concluded the authors.
They hope that the survey results can provide insight for entrepreneurs interested in the commercialization of these systems.
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The article is available free to read at: http://www.future-science.com/doi/full/10.4155/fsoa-2016-0084.
This article forms part of an upcoming special issue of Future Science OA covering organ-on-chip. To express an interest in receiving a link to the full issue when it is published, please contact the Editor, Francesca Lake.
About Future Science OA
Launched in March 2015, Future Science OA is the inaugural gold open access journal from Future Science Group. It publishes articles covering research of application to human health, and utilizes a CC-BY license. Future Science OA embraces the importance of publishing all good-quality research with the potential to further the progress of medical science. Negative and early-phase research will be considered. The journal also features review articles, editorials and perspectives, providing readers with a leading source of commentary and analysis.
About Future Science Group
Founded in 2001, Future Science Group (FSG) is a progressive publisher focused on breakthrough medical, biotechnological, and scientific research. FSG's portfolio includes two imprints, Future Science and Future Medicine. In addition to this core publishing business, FSG develops specialist eCommunities. Key titles and sites include Bioanalysis Zone, Epigenomics, Nanomedicine and the award-winning Regenerative Medicine. The aim of FSG is to service the advancement of clinical practice and drug research by enhancing the efficiency of communications among clinicians, researchers and decision-makers, and by providing innovative solutions to their information needs. This is achieved through a customer-centric approach, use of new technologies, products that deliver value-for-money and uncompromisingly high standards. http://www.futuresciencegroup.com
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Future Science OA