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From Organoids to Organ-on-Chip: Advancing Human-Relevant Models for Viral Pathogenesis and Antiviral Drug Discovery

Vaibhav Tiwari, Joanna Choe, Aryan Vora, Ishita Kataki, Sara A. L. Roujouleh, Karin Allenspach, Michelle Anne Swanson-Mungerson, Michael V. Volin et al.

Cells, 2026

1 citation

Abstract

Organoid and organ-on-chip technologies are rapidly evolving platforms for viral research that integrate stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and microfluidics to recapitulate key structural, mechanical, biochemical, and cellular features of human and animal physiology. By incorporating multicellular organoids into perfused microfluidic systems, these models can provide complex, dynamic, and physiologically relevant micro-environments for investigating virus-host interactions that are difficult to capture in conventional two-dimensional cultures and static organoids. Controlled flow, shear stress, extracellular matrix organization, tissue-tissue interfaces, and multicellular signaling enable mechanistic investigation of viral infectivity, dissemination, tissue injury and immune activation. Integration of real-time imaging and biosensors further permits longitudinal monitoring of viral replication, host responses, and tissue integrity, expanding the potential of these platforms for antiviral drug discovery. Recent organoid-on-chip studies using brain, skin, vaginal, respiratory, and intestinal models have demonstrated how tissue architecture, mechanical forces, glycocalyx dynamics, and immune-stromal interactions influence viral tropism and pathogenesis. In this review, we provide a mechanistic and translational overview of organoid and organ-on-chip technologies for studying viral infections, with particular emphasis on models of herpes simplex virus (HSV)-mediated…

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