Organs-on-chips (OoC) are microfluidic devices which can be used to mimic the microphysiological environment of cells and tissues by adding 3D contructs and controlling (bio)physical stimuli. Highly specialized development of chips for organ-on-chip applications results in novel, cutting-edge technologies. However, these chips rarely leave the developers’ labs due to specialized handling or incompatible interfacing with other chips. As a result, their impact on the OoC field is severely limited. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a standardized system with a user-friendly interface which can be used to interconnect and operate different chips regardless of their development labs. Previously, we have shown that fluidic circuit boards (FCBs) with ISO-standardized interfacing can connect different chip modules to create a higher level system. For this project we defined aims to increase the technology readiness level (TRL) from ‘academic’ to ‘collaboration’. The aim was achieved by successfully combing three third-party chips on a commercially manufactured FCB. In addition, steps towards the technology transfer to the end-user were also taken by performing biological experiments together with collaborators from the LUMC and the University of Groningen. Finally, a strategy for the future of TOP as an open technology platform has been devised as presented at various conferences.
