Intestine-on-a-chip: Next level in vitro research model of the human intestine

Over the past decade, microfluidic intestine-on-a-chip models have been emerging as a novel platform to study intestinal function in health and disease. These microphysiological systems surpass conventional in vitro intestinal model systems, as they add microenvironmental context in the form of mechanical cues or by the incorporation of multiple cell types and/or gut microbiome, thereby better reflecting intestinal architecture and physiology. This review summarizes the current intestine-on-a-chip models with a distinction between cell- or organoid-based models and models that apply ex vivo tissue biopsies, as well as describing the progress and hurdles to overcome when applying intestine-on-a-chip models to study host-microbe interactions and intestinal diseases.