Cartilage-on-chip model: triggering osteoarthritis traits through mechanical compression

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common musculoskeletal disease worldwide and yet an effective therapy is still absent. Associated with cartilage degeneration, OA is recognized as a complex whole joint disease [1], making in vitro modelling particularly cumbersome. Available in vitro models are, however, largely 2D based and not representative of the joint environment. As a result, failure meets attempts at translating promising pre-clinical OA disease modifying drugs (DMOADs) into clinical success. This shortcoming calls for more efficient pre-clinical tools, able to reliably predict DMOA drugs’ efficacy in vivo. In this study we developed a microscale platform providing 3D microconstructs with mechanical compression. The device was used in generating an OA cartilage-on-chip model, and DMOADs screening capability assessed.