Plug and Play Organ Chips Could Help Reduce Animal Testing

Mar-01-13 Small chips able to mimic the behavior of human organs could help reduce animal testing while also helping speed drug development.

The chips, about the size of a USB stick, are designed to work with a desk-top machine in a plug-and-play style. A wide range of “organ chips,” which are made up of channels, reservoirs and membranes lined with human cells, have already been developed and tested, including chips that model the heart, liver and bone marrow. The machine itself, about the size of a photocopier, is anticipated to be ready for market in five years.

Ultimately, the team hopes to provide drug companies with an easy-to-use system able to simulate numerous organs simultaneously. According to lead scientist Professor Donald Ingber, "You'd be able to buy the instrument and we would supply these chips that you plug in. You could have 10 the same, or they could all be different.”

Image: Lung-on-a-chip

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[DISCOVERY.COM]

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