Moore4Medical: The smart multi-well plate

Setting a new standardized platform “Organ-on-Chip powered” to improve the drug development process.  

For over a decade, researchers have seen organ-on-chip (OoC) technology as a promising innovation. This technology can advance drug development and disease understanding with more accuracy and fewer ethical concerns than current animal models [1,2]. OoCs also have the potential to make drug development faster and cheaper. Experts say they could reduce research and development costs by up to 26%, mainly by decreasing the high failure rates observed in traditional drug testing methods [3]. Given this, you might think that OoCs are already widely adopted by leading pharmaceutical companies, but the opposite is true. Pharmaceutical companies find it hard to use OoC technology due to the lack of standardized systems and protocols [4]. To bridge the gap between research and production, new standards for the design, fabrication and use of OoCs are necessary. 

In this article, we highlight the key results of the Moore4Medical project. Along with multiple experts in the field of OoC, the Moore4Medical consortium has convincingly shown how open technology platforms can benefit multiple biomedical domains, such as implantable devices, ultrasound monitoring, drug attrition, surgical devices, and not least, Organ-on-Chip [5]. 

Unveiling a new standard: Smart Multi-Well Plate 

Micronit, along with the Moore4Medical consortium, have helped establish a new standard for Organ-on-a-Chip solutions. This standard aims to make it easier to incorporate future OoC innovations into existing biological and pharmaceutical workflows. The new standard is introduced by the consortium with a smart multi-well plate. For a quick overview, watch the video here.

The smart multi-well plate is an open platform specially designed for a wide range of OoC applications. It seamlessly integrates organ-on-a-chip devices from multiple vendors, making it a standalone plug-and-play solution that is fully compatible with existing biological and pharmaceutical workflows. 

The image above is a still of a video animation, that shows a smart well plate concept designed to bring different Organ-on-a-Chip devices from multiple users into a standard well plate format. This format fits into the workflows of biologists and pharmaceutical companies. The smart well plate has embedded microfluidics and connectivity. Its electronic components are hermetically sealed and powered wirelessly so that the plate can operate in standard humidified incubators.

By combining standardization, configurability, automation, and scalability, this platform has positioned itself uniquely in the OoC landscape. More specifically, the platform distinguishes itself in the following ways:

• Multi-functionality: The platform is built from four functional layers: 1. a standard 96 well-plate granting compatibility with internationally accepted ANSI/SLAS Microplate Standards, 2. a component layer for OoC devices, micro-pumps and sensors, 3. a fluidic layer connecting the modules and 4. an electric layer connecting sensors and micro-pumps to the external world.
• Configurability: The open platform technology at the base of the smart multi-well plate aims at overcoming the challenges with interfacing components produced by different manufacturers, boosting product development and compatibility. Its modularity allows the platform to grow with new technology in the future. The ever-changing landscape, driven by both academic and commercial efforts, firmly establishes the Smart Multi-Well Plate in its unique position.
• Automation: It features built-in micro-pumps, eliminating the need for external pneumatic or fluid connections. This introduces dynamic control on flow and real-time sensing from inside the incubator without bulky and air bubble-prone connections.
• Scalability for Industrial Production: Designed with large-scale production in mind, the platform's modularity allows for a varying number and type of components to be assembled per plate, resulting in a high degree of adaptability in production. This structure is designed to be compatible with ISO standard 22916:2022 and be suitable for high-throughput screening.

Partners that were involved in Moore4Medical:  TU Delft (NL), Micronit (NL), Multi Channel System (DE), Philips (NL), Fraunhofer EMFT (DE), imec (BE), CSEM (CH), InSphero (CH), Besi Netherlands (NL), Besi Austria (AT), EVG (AT), TU Eindhoven (NL), INESC-MN (PT), ITAV (PT), IMT (RM), Menarini Silicon Biosystems (IT), IISA (ES), BEOnChip (ES), BI/OND (NL), Microfluidic ChipShop (DE), TNO Holst Centre (NL), CER (HU), AEDUS (HU), Universita’ de Zaragoza (ES).

References:

1. Marx, U., Andersson, T.B., Bahinski, A., Beilmann, M., Beken, S., Cassee, F.R., ... & Heringa, M.B. (2020). Biology-inspired microphysiological systems to advance patient benefit and animal welfare in drug development. ALTEX-Alternatives to animal experimentation, 37(3), 364-394. Available at: ALTEX
2. Frontiers in Pharmacology. "Revolutionizing drug development: harnessing the potential of organ-on-chip technology for disease modeling and drug discovery." Available at: Frontiers
3. "Organ-On-A-Chip: Development and Clinical Prospects Toward Toxicity Assessment with an Emphasis on Bone Marrow." Available at: SpringerLink
4. BioMedical Engineering Online. "Organ-on-a-chip: recent breakthroughs and future prospects." Available at: BioMedical Engineering Online
5. Moore4Medical Consortium. https://moore4medical.eu/