A dozen in one
"An organism on a chip" will check the effect of drugs on 12 organs at once
Yulia Krasilnikova, Hi-tech+
MIT has proposed a way to reduce the testing time of new drugs by half and do without animal testing. Some artificial organs cannot yet accurately reflect the effects of drugs on the body. But the missing data will be provided by a mathematical model.
A team of researchers from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), led by bioengineer Linda Griffith, has developed a microfluidic platform for drug testing.
A small plastic mold the size of a book consists of several holes. In each of them, researchers lay pre-grown three-dimensional cellular structures that mimic human organs and tissues.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the system evaluates the effects of drugs on 12 elements of the human physiome, including skin, skeletal muscles, endometrium, lungs, heart and brain.
Each component consists of several million cells. According to Griffith, her team managed to increase the size of the simulated organs and bring them as close as possible to their real counterparts. To make them, bioengineers use patient cells, stem cells or cells obtained from cadavers.
Miniature pumps pump fluid through the unit, simulating blood flow. After setting up the device, scientists inject drugs and evaluate side effects.
Doctors have previously tested drugs on cellular structures that mimic organs. However, they could not check how certain substances affect the patient's condition in the complex. As a result, the drug could be absorbed and have a positive effect, but have a negative effect on the liver or other organs.
"An organism on a chip" allows you to track the effects in a complex. For example, if it is assumed that a person should take a substance in the form of a pill, then the drug is "planted" in an imitation of the intestine. If the drug is administered intravenously, then it is tested to simulate the central circulatory system.
After some time, scientists take tissue samples and determine the effect of the drug. Griffith says that imitations of organs and tissues cannot 100% convey the characteristics of the human body. A mathematical model is used to predict side effects with maximum accuracy.
There are other limitations. Artificial organs and tissues are not connected to the immune system, so the Griffith team has to constantly supply them with antibiotics. But the researcher hopes that in the future the platform will recreate the effect of the immune response.
For the first time, scientists presented the technology in March of this year, but then it was adapted for only 10 organs. Bioengineers have been working on the system for five years using a grant from the Defense Initiatives Agency DARPA.
The military "organism on a chip" is interesting as one of the means of combating biological weapons. It is assumed that the platform will help to quickly select a vaccine in case of a sudden epidemic.
The technique will also help determine the effect of metastatic tumors and type 2 diabetes on the body.
Recently, an effective mini-laboratory on a chip was presented by scientists from the Michigan Technological University. They also used microfluidic technology to create a platform for performing medical tests.
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