Responsible innovation in multi-organ-on-a-chip research: A qualitative study of biomedical scientists' views on the value and development of models for obesity.

Obesity is a global health issue and risk factor for various diseases. Given its systemic nature, multi-organ-on-a-chip (MOC) models have been proposed to model human organ interactions in vitro. Obesity MOC models are still in an early stage of development. Early stakeholder engagement may provide insights into societal, scientific, and ethical aspects of obesity MOC models, and incorporating these dimensions can support their development and implementation. Therefore, we conducted an explorative qualitative study focusing on academic and industrial biomedical researchers' views on MOC models for obesity, based on a hypothetical model incorporating adipose tissue, kidney, and liver organ systems. Analysis of the semi-structured interview transcripts identified six themes that consistently emerged across all participants. Our results show that participants perceived obesity as a global health issue requiring prevention efforts. However, researchers argued that obesity MOC models should mimic human (patho)physiology, rather than focus on prevention. Moreover, tensions between capturing human system complexity and maintaining manageable technical setup were identified. Perceived hurdles, including finding universal culture medium, limited affordability, and inadequate high-throughput capacity, may hamper obesity MOC model development. Clear research objectives and model validity were considered crucial, and explicitly defining context of use may facilitate progress. Divergent views on obesity MOC model validation, ranging from animal replacement to animal benchmarking, highlight tensions in scientific practice. In conclusion, consensus on the value and validation of obesity MOC models requires engagement among scientists, institutions, and society. Our findings can inform design and communication of obesity-related MOC experiments, supporting their development and use.