Organ-on-chip
We develop advanced microphysiological models of human tissues to better understand health, disease, and regeneration. Our work focuses on creating physiologically relevant in vitro systems that mimic key features of tissues such as blood vessels, bone, and tooth. By combining engineering and cell-based technologies, we aim to build models that support more predictive research, reduce reliance on animal testing, and accelerate the development of new therapeutic and regenerative approaches.
In vitro capillary systems have aided the establishment of the fundamental laws of blood flow and its non-Newtonian properties for the last 50 years. The advent of microfluidics technology in the 1990s propelled the development of highly integrated lab-on-a-chip platforms that allow highly accurate replication of vascular systems’ dimensions, mechanical properties, and biological complexity. Applications include the detection of pathological changes to red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets at unparalleled sensitivity and the efficacy assessment of drug treatment. Recent efforts have aimed at the development of microfluidics-based tests usable in a clinial environment or the replication of more complex diseases such as thrombosis. These microfluidic disease models enable the study of onset and progression of disease as well as the identification of key players and risk factors, which have led to a spectrum of clinically relevant findings.
Bernhard Sebastian and Petra S. Dittrich:
Microfluidics to Mimic Blood Flow in Health and Disease,
Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics 50, (2018), 483-504, link.
The vast majority of drugs is administered intravenously. One of the reasons is the thorough vascularization of each and every tissue independent of being diseased or healthy. Hence, the blood vessel system is an efficient transporting system for e.g. drugs. However, this circulatory system functions as a barrier as well for e.g. immune cells to get out of the blood stream and falsely invading a tissue. With immunotherapy getting more and more into the focus of research, understanding the interaction between the endothelium and immune cells gets very important. Thus, we are currently developing microfluidic platforms that are aiming on understanding the human vasculature in the context of immunology better.
In addition to modeling general vascular function, we are also interested in investigating vessel structures in specific organs, such as the liver. Organ-specific vasculature has specialized properties and plays a key role in organ function, inflammation, disease progression, and drug response. Using these models, we also study how disease-associated cellular signals affect endothelial behavior and tissue-specific vascular function.
Selected references:
- Bernhard Sebastian and Petra S. Dittrich:
Microfluidics to Mimic Blood Flow in Health and Disease,
Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics 50, (2018), 483-504, external page link.
- Elisabeth Hirth, Wuji Cao, Marina Peltonen, Edo Kapetanovic, Claudius Dietsche, Sara Svanberg, Maria Filippova, Sai Reddy and Petra S. Dittrich: Self-assembled and perfusable microvasculature-on-chip for modeling leukocyte trafficking, Lab on a Chip 24, (2024), 292–304, external page link.
Tooth diseases and injuries are widespread and place a major burden on healthcare systems. Current dental treatments mainly rely on replacing damaged tissues with inert materials, which restores structure but does not preserve the living, functional components of the tooth. Maintaining tooth vitality therefore remains a major unmet need in dentistry. Dental pulp stem cells have shown potential for dentin–pulp repair, but their regenerative capacity is limited, especially after severe damage caused by caries or trauma. Progress toward clinical regenerative therapies has also been slowed by the lack of human-relevant experimental platforms that accurately reproduce the complexity of dental pulp biology.
Our approach addresses this gap through tooth-on-a-chip technology. By using microfluidic organ-on-chip systems, we aim to recreate key features of the human dental pulp microenvironment in vitro. These platforms allow precise control of fluid flow, extracellular matrix organization, cell patterning, and tissue-specific interactions, enabling a more physiologically relevant model than conventional culture systems. This platform will provide a powerful tool to investigate human dental pulp biology, model tooth responses to disease and treatment, and evaluate regenerative or pharmacological therapies in a controlled, human-relevant preclinical system.
Selected references:
- Sara Svanberg, Mathilde Hanoune, Thimios A. Mitsiadis and Petra S. Dittrich: A microfluidic model of human dental pulp angiogenesis for preclinical drug and biomaterial testing, Materials Today Bio 37, (2026), 102776, link.
- Sara Svanberg, Enya Hirth, Thimios A. Mitsiadis and Petra S. Dittrich: “Periodontal ligament-on-chip” as a Novel Tool for Studies on the Physiology and Pathology of Periodontal Tissues, Advanced Healthcare Materials 13, (2024), e2303942, external page link.
We are interested in developing bone-on-chip models designed to recreate key aspects of the bone microenvironment in vitro, enabling us to study how bone cells communicate, remodel tissue, and respond to disease-related changes. We are particularly interested in using these platforms to investigate metabolic diseases and how they affect the dynamic interplay between bone-forming osteoblasts, bone-resorbing osteoclasts, osteocytes, and surrounding stromal or vascular cells.
This is important because bone is not only a structural tissue, but also a highly active metabolic organ. Conditions such as diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and chronic inflammation can disrupt bone remodeling, alter cellular communication, and impair tissue regeneration. Traditional models often fail to capture these complex cell-cell interactions and the three-dimensional, dynamic nature of bone tissue. By developing bone-on-chip systems, we aim to create more physiologically relevant tools to better understand disease mechanisms, identify new therapeutic targets, and support the development of treatments that improve bone health and regeneration.