The Role of Silicon Technology in Organ-On-Chip: Current Status and Future Perspective

Organ-on-chip (OoC) systems are microfluidic in vitro platforms constructed to expand the current understanding of organ-level physiology and response. This technology holds significant potential to transform drug discovery, precision medicine, and disease modeling while reducing animal model use. Recent developments in OoC technology have shown great promise, demonstrated using relatively simple microfluidic designs. Currently, the consensus in the OoC-related literature is that the future of OoC technology lies in the development of robust platforms that offer higher throughput, improved customization, and higher levels of integration of sensing and actuation modalities. The implementation of silicon micro-nanofabrication technologies can foster such a transition, but the application in the field remains limited. In this review, an overview of silicon micro-nanofabrication technologies is provided that have been or can be applied in the realization of compact OoC systems, with focus on integrated actuation and sensing modalities. Emerging technologies are highlighted for the heterogeneous integration of silicon-based and polymer-based components in OoC systems for the realization of compact and multimodal OoC platforms. Finally, the most promising avenues are outlined for silicon technology within the framework of OoC and the future of biomedical research and personalized medicine.