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Engineering Human Physiology on a Chip: Investigating the Revolutionary Organ-on-a-Chip Technology and its Potential to Replace Animal Models in Drug Discovery, Toxicity Testing, and Personalized Medicine
Organ-on-a-chip (OOC) technology represents a paradigm shift in preclinical research, moving beyond traditional 2D cell cultures and less predictive animal models to accurately mimic human organ-level physiology in vitro. These are sophisticated microfluidic devices lined with living human cells that replicate the structural, mechanical, and biochemical functions of complex organs like the lung, liver, heart, or gut. By simulating blood flow, mechanical stretching (like breathing in a Lung-on-a-Chip), and tissue-to-tissue interfaces, OOCs provide a much more physiologically relevant platform to study disease mechanisms and the effects of new drug compounds, promising to drastically improve the predictability of drug screening and reduce the high failure rate of clinical trials.