Designing Functional Microdevices for Biomedical Research

Biomedical microdevices, which include miniaturized assay systems and microphysiological systems, have undergone rapid advances in recent decades. This innovation is driven by a range of needs including automated, high-though put assay of ultra-small-sized samples and recapitulation of cellular or organ physiology with a precisely controlled microenvironment. A critical aspect in microdevice development is not only the engineering specifications and principles that guide construction but also the need to ensure that the devices are scalable, manufacturable, reproducible, and accurate. Simple yet elegant designs create platforms that are readily adopted by non-engineering experts facilitating widespread usage and ultimately commercialization. Three novel miniaturized devices that embody this “simple yet elegant” design strategy will provide examples: a micro-separation platform for assay of single-cell contents, microraft arrays for tracking and sorting cells and organoids, and an intestine-on-chip accurately mimicking in vivo architecture and physiology. These and other advances in biomedical microdevices are paving the way for rapid discoveries in basic and pharmaceutical sciences, as well as personalized medicine.