Setting out a roadmap for standardisation of organ-on-chip technology via the European Comission

Organ-on-chip (OoC) is an integration of biotechnology with micro-fluidic chips and sensors to build miniaturised versions of human organs, such as the lung, heart, or liver. These devices contain living human cells that replicate the functioning of real organs, allowing researchers to study how diseases affect human tissues and to develop novel therapies.

Although OoC is being primarily applied for the development of new medicines, it is also growing in importance for safety testing of chemicals used in consumer goods such as cosmetics. In biomedical research, OoC devices have the potential to reduce and replace animal experiments, particularly in areas where animals are poor models of human physiology and disease.