Organ on a chip
Understand how two adjacent microchannels can support interacting tissues.
Follow the structure
Each feature is also explained below. You can read the diagram without animation or JavaScript.
Upper fluid channel
This exploded conceptual diagram separates the layers for clarity and shows an upper fluid route. It does not depict a particular organ, tissue or commercial chip.
Cell layer
The repeated shapes indicate a simplified cell layer. They do not represent cell counts, measured biology or a predicted response.
Separating membrane
The illustrated membrane separates the two channels. Organ-chip designs vary; this feature is not universal.
Lower fluid channel
A second labelled fluid route sits beneath the membrane. Use the layer control to inspect the simplified arrangement.
Organ chips are microfluidic culture devices containing living cells that reproduce selected features of tissue structure and function. They are research models, and their design depends on the biological question.
A common architecture has two channels separated by a thin permeable membrane. Wyss describes a heart-chip example with heart muscle cells in one channel and a vascular channel lined with endothelial cells in the other. Other organ models use different cell types and conditions.
Our generic exploded schematic separates the layers for clarity and highlights two flow paths, a simplified cell layer and a membrane. Permeable interfaces can allow molecular exchange while helping organise adjacent tissues, but the drawing does not show an exchange process. Some organ-chip systems also add mechanical forces or sensors; those features are not assumed for every design.
What this illustration leaves out
This combines common architectural ideas into a generic teaching schematic, not a copy of a commercial or validated Wyss chip. Not all organ chips have this arrangement; cells, membrane, flow and mechanical cues depend on the model. The scene cannot predict tissue function, drug response or clinical outcomes.
Check the original sources
Source checked 14 Sep 2026 · Biochips source desk (AI-assisted source check). Specialist review: not recorded. Review method.
- Human Organs-on-Chips Wyss Institute at Harvard University · Checked 14 Sep 2026
Living-cell microfluidic culture devices and organ-specific modelling
- Wyss Institute's Organ Chips get smart and go electric Wyss Institute at Harvard University · Checked 14 Sep 2026
Two channels separated by a semi-permeable membrane in a heart-chip example; Cell layers, electrical measurements and barrier function
- Human cervix modeled in microfluidic organ chip fills key women's health gap Wyss Institute at Harvard University · Checked 14 Sep 2026
Adjacent cell types and molecular communication across a porous membrane
- Introduction to Organs-on-a-Chip Wyss Institute at Harvard University · Checked 14 Sep 2026
Selected organ models incorporate mechanical forces