# Programmable Microfluidic Perfusion Bioreactor for 3D Organoid Culture and Screening Applications

> **NIH NIH R43** · MOSAIC ENGINEERING LLC · 2024 · $321,963

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Nine out of ten drug candidates that are shown to be safe and effective in animal testing ultimately fail in
human trials. A great deal of work over the last decade has focused on leveraging pluripotent stem cells to
create human organoids and microphysiological organ-on-chip models which present a lower cost, ethical,
scalable, and more physiologically-relevant alternative to animal testing. These organoids are 3D tissues
representing the full range of cell phenotypes present in various human organ systems. With the recent
passage of the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, congress has allowed FDA to accept organoids as alternatives
to animal testing for drug approvals. Organoid model development has also been broadly prioritized across
the NIH. As organoids move toward translational practice, there is a large and growing unmet need
for new bioreactor tools designed specifically for organoid culture. Mosaic is leveraging fifteen years
of microfluidics research and high-volume manufacturing experience to create a versatile, programmable,
easy-to-use, and scalable perfusion bioreactor platform for microphysiological systems. We are
partnering with early adopters in the emerging organoid and cell therapy industries as well as manufacturing
partners with expertise in injection molding microfluidic consumables. Our platform overcomes several major
bottlenecks in the development and scalable application of organ-on-chip assays for drug discovery. Our
microfluidic consumable follows a standard SBS plate form factor, allowing it to be integrated into
broader laboratory automation workflows. Our low-cost electronic pressure manifold leverages recent
advances in MEMS technology to precisely drive fluids and actuate on-chip valves across a standardized
microfluidic consumable interface. In this Phase I, we will validate this platform by demonstrating iPSC
cardiovascular organoid differentiation and observation under perfusion culture. We will show that a single
bioreactor yields hundreds of healthy, phenotypically-consistent vascularized cardiac organoids,
and that these organoids can be differentially dosed with pharmacological agents under
physiologically-relevant perfusion conditions. We will develop an intuitive scripting interface for
automating cell culture and screening protocols. Our first product (Phase II) is an R&D hardware and software
platform for microfluidic bioreactor automation compatible with standard live cell imaging microscopes. Our
long-term goal is to develop a fully-integrated system with imaging and microfluidic automation,
along with a catalog of standard microfluidic consumables for a variety of use cases including
hepatocyte culture for toxicity screening, tumor spheroid perfusion, suspension culture for immunotherapy
production, and general cell biology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10821563
- **Project number:** 1R43HL172397-01
- **Recipient organization:** MOSAIC ENGINEERING LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Frank Myers
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $321,963
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-02-01 → 2025-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10821563

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10821563, Programmable Microfluidic Perfusion Bioreactor for 3D Organoid Culture and Screening Applications (1R43HL172397-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10821563. Licensed CC0.

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