Could This "Human Body on a Chip" Replace Rodent Models?
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Photo courtesy of Wyss Institute at Harvard University
Some 60%-90% of drugs that are successful in rodents… fail in humans. This is one of the reasons the EPA announced late last year that they would be cutting funding for testing on non-human models. However, researchers at Harvard University and Tel Aviv University have developed a new model that might address this problem: mini human organs on a chip.
These separate “organ chips” can be connected to create a “mini human on a chip”, to test the effects of different treatments and medications on multiple organs and systems. One such experiment tested a chemotherapeutic drug commonly used in cancer treatments, which is administered intravenously and displays unwanted toxicity in the kidney and bone marrow. One co-author, Anna Herland, believes that this new process can allow for “more refined predictions of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity.”
Innovative technology like this is what advances the longevity field forward. We’re excited to see how this technology can be used, and improved upon in the future.