The Current Status and Use of Microphysiological Systems by the Pharmaceutical Industry: The IQ Microphysiological Systems Affiliate Survey and Commentary.

Microphysiological systems (MPS) are comprised of one or multiple cell types of human or animal origins that mimic the biochemical/electrical/mechanical responses and blood-tissue barrier properties of the cells observed within a complex organ. The goal of incorporating these in vitro systems is to expedite and advance the drug discovery and development paradigm with improved predictive and translational capabilities. Considering the industry need for improved efficiency and the broad challenges of model qualification and acceptance, the International Consortium for Innovation and Quality (IQ), founded an IQ MPS working group in 2014 and Affiliate in 2018. This group connects thought leaders and end users, provides a forum for cross-pharma collaboration, and engages with regulators to qualify translationally relevant MPS models. To understand how pharmaceutical companies are using MPS, the IQ MPS Affiliate conducted two surveys in 2019, Survey 1 and 2021, Survey 2, which differed slightly in the scope of definition of the complex in vitro models under question. The surveys captured demographics, resourcing, rank order for organs of interest, compound modalities tested, and MPS organ-specific questions including nonclinical species needs and cell types. The major focus of this manuscript is on results from the Survey 2, where we specifically highlight the context of use for MPS within safety, pharmacology or ADME, and discuss considerations for including MPS data in regulatory submissions. In summary, these data provide valuable insights for developers, regulators, and pharma offering a view into current industry practices and future considerations while highlighting key challenges impacting MPS adoption. Significance Statement The application of microphysiological systems (MPS) represents a growing area of interest in the drug discovery and development framework. We surveyed 20+ pharma companies to understand resourcing, current areas of application and the key challenges and barriers to internal MPS adoption. These results will provide regulators, tech providers and pharma industry leaders a starting point to assess the current state of MPS applications along with key learnings to effectively realize the potential of MPS as an emerging technology.