PhysioMimix® OOC Microphysiological Systems for microtissue culturing

The PhysioMimix^® OOC range of Microphysiological Systems culture advanced single- and multi-organ-on-a-chip models to produce human-specific pre-clinical safety and effectiveness data when challenged with drugs.

PhysioMimix organ-on-a-chip (OOC) systems allow users to recreate 3D microtissues from human primary cells that imitate the physiology and function of human tissues and organs in vitro.

Microtissues are perfused by precise fluidic flow to replicate the circulation, providing oxygen, nutrients, biomechanical stimuli and waste removal.  Flow perfusion enhances microtissue viability, function and phenotype and maintains cultures for up to one month.

Predictive human organ models can be used to find therapeutic targets, understand drug ADME characteristics, and unlock the mechanisms behind effectiveness and toxicity to predict clinical outcomes.

PhysioMimix OOC systems assist organizations in developing safe and efficacious treatments more quickly and cost-effectively while minimizing the reliance on animal testing. Their deep mechanistic insights can be used to refine in vivo experimental design by justifying the progression of highly qualified molecules into animal studies. Additionally, they offer a viable alternative where animals are less suited for newer modality drugs, with human-specific mechanisms of action, to be better prepared for the clinic.

How translatable is the data?

The PhysioMimix OOC generates human-relevant data that complements data collected from established 2D cell culture and animal research, allowing for more informed decision-making across multiple drug discovery stages, from target identification to preclinical development. PhysioMimix data can be translated into predicted human outcomes through the clinically relevant endpoints delivered.

Limitations of current techniques

• In vitro two-dimensional cell culture models lack physiological significance
• In vivo animal models have no human relevance; investigations are long, costly, and ethically undesirable
• Animals are less suited to the development of human-specific drug modalities due to interspecies variances

Advancements with PhysioMimix

• Accurately recreate in vitro the characteristics and capabilities of human organs and tissues
• Addresses the relevance limits of traditional preclinical models to confirm or interrogate their findings
• Offers a quick, practical, cost-effective, and more human-relevant alternative

What is required to accurately model and measure human physiology?

Image Credit: CN-Bio

PhysioMimix OOC enables the following:

• Co-culturing human cells to replicate human tissues and organs
• Scaffolds that are perfused to encourage the creation of 3D organ models
• Suitability for apical and basolateral tissue growth inserts to replicate a biological barrier
• Recirculating fluidic flow that supplies nutrients, oxygen, and biomechanical stimulation
• Changing the flow rates between and within organs can improve physiological relevance
• Maintaining viability, function, and phenotype across weeks allows for long-term chronic disease and dosing research
• Deep mechanistic insights through individual microtissue analysis and large sample volumes (up to 1 mL)
• Modeling the immune system by including circulating and tissue-specific immune cells

Preclinical toolbox comparison

How does OOC compare to conventional preclinical approaches?

Source: CN-Bio

Which of the microphysiological systems meets specific needs?

PhysioMimix Single-Organ Standard System

Image Credit: CN-Bio

• An entry-level system that allows the generation of in vitro 3D single-organ models to give detailed insights into drugs or disease mechanisms of action.
• Provides clinically translatable human data, allowing for more informed decision-making
• Using the PhysioMimix Liver-12 plate, create liver-on-a-chip models that closely resemble human liver microarchitecture.
• Using the PhysioMimix Barrier plate, create barrier models (such as Gut- or Lung-on-a-chip) for Transwell^® inserts

PhysioMimix Single-Organ HT System

Image Credit: CN-Bio

Next-generation system that also provides:

• Comparative studies examining drug safety, effectiveness, and potency can have a 6× increase in throughput
• To eliminate adoption hurdles, costs per sample were reduced by 8×
• Improved data robustness and reproducibility for greater data trust
• Provides clinically translatable human data more quickly than in the past throughout the discovery phase
• Compatible with both the Single-organ Standard System plates and the NEW PhysioMimix Liver-48 plate

PhysioMimix Multi-Organ Standard System

Image Credit: CN-Bio

• The multi-organ variation has more capability than the Single-organ Standard System, allowing users to interconnect the liver model to another organ, such as the lung or the gut.
• Simulating organ interactions and communication as part of a complex system can gain more profound knowledge of human-specific mechanistic disease states and medication activity.
• Compatible with both the Single-organ Standard System plates and the PhysioMimix Dual-organ plate

PhysioMimix OOC range by task

Source: CN-Bio

Bringing the benefits of Organ-on-a-chip to more of drug discovery

Image Credit: CN-Bio

Customer feedback

The CN-Bio MPS system allows hepatic cultures to be grown for weeks with low signs of cytotoxicity or hepatocytes de-differentiation detectable; CN-Bio has developed an efficient proprietary protocol to model NASH that shows really high homology with murine models of NASH in terms of transcriptome, inflammatory profiling and pathophysiological events crucial for disease progression.”

Michele Vacca, MD PhD, Clinician Research Associate, Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge

Vacca added, “The hepatic co-cultures of hepatocytes, Kupffer, and stellate cells that I have tested also behave as expected in vivo with regards to intracellular signaling pathways (such as TGFβ signaling) thus allowing the modeling of chronic liver disease pathophysiology.”

“I think that the PhysioMimix OOC system will become a “must-have” piece of equipment for labs focusing on liver pathophysiology and tissue-to-tissue interactions,” Vacca further stated.

Application areas

Disease modeling

Image Credit: CN-Bio

The models provide a realistic manifestation of disease characteristics and functionally imitate the organ, enabling enhanced effectiveness evaluations.

Safety toxicology

Image Credit: CN-Bio

The models improve drug safety prediction to enhance and expedite drug development by closely resembling in vivo function.

ADME

Image Credit: CN-Bio

Human in vivo pharmacokinetics can be precisely predicted by single- and multi-organ models, providing valuable information on how the body reacts to drugs.

Why choose PhysioMimix?

Lab benchtop ready

Small and compatible with current machinery

User-friendly

Set up and begin a run in under a minute

Open-well medicine

Aids in the transfer of the 2D to 3D cell culture

Real-time monitoring

Experiments continue after samples are removed for analysis

“Set-and-Run” perfusion

Extended automated trials with little human involvement

Tissues and cells

It is compatible with various pre-formed tissues and cell types for maximum flexibility

Multi-organ compatible

Connect two organs using microfluidics to examine crosstalk

Reduced cost/chip

Increased trials at the same cost lower adoption barriers

Data confidence

Dose responses, controls, and in-plate replicates

Higher throughput

Produce OOC insights more quickly than in the past

PhysioMimix tech spec

Image Credit: CN-Bio

The hardware for PhysioMimix^® OOC systems consists of the following:

• Controller
• Docking station(s)
• Driver(s)

View the detailed technical specification

Source: CN-Bio