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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1408501
This article is part of the Research Topic Autoimmunity: novel insights and future perspectives View all 23 articles

The Promise of Synovial Joint-on-a-Chip in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Provisionally accepted
Xin Zhang Xin Zhang 1Rui Su Rui Su 1Hui Wang Hui Wang 1Ruihe Wu Ruihe Wu 1Yuxin Fan Yuxin Fan 1Zexuan Bin Zexuan Bin 1Caihong Wang Caihong Wang 1*Chong Gao Chong Gao 2
  • 1 Department of Rheumatology, Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
  • 2 Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects millions of people worldwide, but there are limited drugs available to treat it, so acquiring a more comprehensive comprehension of the underlying reasons and mechanisms behind inflammation is crucial, as well as developing novel therapeutic approaches to manage it and mitigate or forestall associated harm. It is evident that current in vitro models cannot faithfully replicate all aspects of joint diseases, which makes them ineffective as tools for disease research and drug testing. Organ-on-a-chip (OoC) technology is an innovative platform that can mimic the microenvironment and physiological state of living tissues more realistically than traditional methods by simulating the spatial arrangement of cells and interorgan communication. This technology allows for the precise control of fluid flow, nutrient exchange, and the transmission of physicochemical signals, such as bioelectrical, mechanical stimulation and shear force .In addition, the integration of cutting-edge technologies like sensors, 3D printing, and artificial intelligence enhances the capabilities of these models. Here, we delve into OoC models with a particular focus on Synovial Joints-on-a-Chip, where we outline their structure and function, highlighting the potential of the model to advance our understanding of RA. We integrate the actual evidence regarding various OoC models and their possible integration for multisystem disease study in RA research for the first time and introduce the prospects and opportunities of the chip in RA etiology and pathological mechanism research, drug research, disease prevention and human precision medicine. Although many challenges remain, OoC holds great promise as an in vitro model that approaches physiology and dynamics.

    Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, organ-on-a-chip, Synovial joint-on-a-chip, disease models, precision medicine, Microphysiological systems

    Received: 28 Mar 2024; Accepted: 26 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Su, Wang, Wu, Fan, Bin, Wang and Gao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Caihong Wang, Department of Rheumatology, Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.