Physiome-on-a-Chip: The Challenge of “Scaling” in Design, Operation, and Translation of Microphysiological Systems

Scaling of a microphysiological system (MPS) or physiome-on-a-chip is arguably two interrelated, modeling-based activities: on-platform scaling and in vitro-in vivo translation. This dual approach reduces the need to perfectly rescale and mimic in vivo physiology, an aspiration that is both extremely challenging and not substantively meaningful because of uncertain relevance of any specific physiological condition. Accordingly, this perspective offers a tractable approach for designing interacting MPSs and relating in vitro results to analogous context in vivo.