The Promise of Organs-on-Chips

Organs-on-chips, or microphysiological systems, are innovative technologies that simulate human organs using living human tissues, providing a promising alternative to traditional animal testing in drug development. These chips are small polymer rectangles lined with human cells that can model essential organ functions and are crucial for understanding diseases and testing new drugs. With over 60 companies producing different chips, research on organ chips demonstrates their potential to address critical challenges in determining drug safety and efficacy, which have historically involved animal models that often fail to predict human responses. This shift not only aims to improve the drug development process but also holds the potential to save lives, particularly in populations that have been historically underserved by medical breakthroughs.