The papers based on specific research projects address questions in the further development of this novel technology and applications from a single organ to ultimately multi-organ models. These studies provide the reader with an excellent introduction to this technology and its role in improving drug development.
These papers together provide an excellent perspective on the potential implementation and impact of MPS on drug development, both overall and in other cases focused on specific organs: the skin, lungs, GI tract, kidney and liver. Van Vleet and others on microphysiological systems (MPS) largely reflecting an industrial perspective on MPS. Within this group of papers is a subgroup organized by Kristin Fabre, Terry R. The purpose of this collection is to provide examples of how this emerging technology is being applied to a wide range of practical problems. This process is revealing the challenges in the application of these techniques to practical problems and potential solutions to these challenges. The technology is still emerging but recent advances have moved it from conceptual development to application to specific problems. The organ-on-chip field has begun to mature with many small companies developing this technology and widespread testing in pharmaceutical and cosmetic firms. This virtual issue on “Organ-on-a-chip systems: translating concept into practice” continues an assessment of this emerging technology discussed initially as “Advances in organ-, body-, and disease-on-a-chip systems” in Lab on a Chip (DOI: 10.1039/C8LC90089B).