FIG. 1.

General schematic representations of various basic OoC devices: (a) the simplest OoC device having a single cell chamber and a single fluid channel and (b) an OoC device having a single cell chamber and two fluid channels. One of the fluid channels is to flow cell medium and the other for various drug doses. (c) A double cell chamber and two fluid channels OoC device for mimicking vascularization. This device has upper and lower cell chambers with a micro-fabricated porous elastic membrane at the interface of the chambers. (d) A mechanically stretchable membrane in the OoC device having a double cell chamber and multiple fluid channels. The upper cell chamber can be used to flow air periodically to mimic the lung function. This device is also equipped with two isolated side channels along with the cell chambers. A lateral elongation of the elastic membrane is obtained by applying a vacuum on the side channels, which induces mechanical stretching of the adherent cell layers on the membrane.