Researchers have developed a new ‘organs-on-chips’ technology that could replace animals for testing new drugs or supplements.The flexible polymer organ-chips contain tiny channels lined with living human cells and are capable of reproducing blood and air flow just as in the human body. The chips are translucent, giving researchers a window into the inner workings of the organ being studied.
Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a multi-year research and development agreement with a company called Emulate, founded by researchers at Harvard University, to evaluate the “organs-on-chips” technology. Research will begin with a liver-chip but the agreement may expand in the future to cover additional organ-chips, including kidney, lung and intestine models, FDA said.
The ultimate goal is to predict how specific organs will respond to exposure to potential chemical hazards found in foods, cosmetics and/or dietary supplements with greater precision than other methods currently being used, such as cell-culture or animal-based tests.
