Imagine using tiny versions of human organs—like mini brains—to study diseases, test new drugs, or tailor treatments to individuals. These advanced in vitro models, such as organoids and organs-on-chips, are revolutionizing biomedical research. However, one of the key challenges limiting their widespread use is: they don’t hold up well to cryo-storage and cold-chain delivery.
In this paper, Dr. Yaqi Sheng (COO) and Prof. Shery Huang (CTO) uncovered how the complex biological structures, combined with mismatched engineering designs, hinders the recovery after cryopreservation of these advanced models. They highlight how the current enclosed design of organ-on-chip systems creates a barrier to high-fidelity cryopreservation. This insight led to the development of the OPTIMATM chip—a new design that eliminates mismatched interfaces to build advanced tissue models, including multi-layered brain organoids, truly compatible with cryopreservation. It’s a vital step toward making these models more accessible, standardized, and ready for real-world use, not restricted to just elite labs.
