The £45m 'organ chips' that could recreate the human body - and might one day replace animal experiments

  • Each 'organ' will be size of memory stick
  • Entire body could be recreated using ten chips

By Mark Prigg

PUBLISHED: 10:18 EST, 24 July 2012 | UPDATED: 10:21 EST, 24 July 2012

 A £45 million research project could see future generations of drugs tested on "organ chips" that mimic different parts of the human body.

As well as improving and speeding up drug development, the move could prevent the suffering and death of many thousands of laboratory animals.

One goal of the US programme is to simulate a whole human body by linking together 10 different organ chips.

Each "organ" will be about the size of a computer memory stick.

Scientists hope their new 'organ chip' could one day replace the need to experiment on animals

Scientists hope their new 'organ chip' could one day replace the need to experiment on animals

The clear plastic chips contain tiny hollow channels lined with living human cells.

A separate arm of the five-year project will develop a "microbrain bioreactor", seeded with human neurons, to mimic the biology of the human brain.

The devices will be used to identify, develop and test novel drugs to treat a host of different diseases.

 

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Currently, much of this work is done by experimenting on animals, usually mice or rats.

But although there are many biological and genetic similarities between a rodent and a human, there are crucial differences too.

In some cases, adverse reactions or side effects only become apparent during patient trials - or even when a drug is marketed.

The 'Tissue Chip for Drug Testing' programme, worth £45 million, is being funded by three giant US agencies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa).

Scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University will focus on the multi-organ chip device.

Colleagues at Vanderbilt University in Nashville are working on the microbrain bioreactor, which like the organ chip will contain human cells.

The brain is an especially difficult target for drug development because it puts up multiple natural barriers to potentially toxic molecules.

Scientists say the new 'organ chip' will be able to recreate an entire organ in a chip the size of a broadband dongle

Scientists say the new 'organ chip' will be able to recreate an entire organ in a chip the size of a broadband dongle

Professor John Wilkswo, director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, said: 'Given the differences in cellular biology in the brains of rodents and humans, development of a brain model that contains neurons and all three barriers between blood, brain and cerebral spinal fluid, using entirely human cells will represent a fundamental advance in and of itself.'

The US initiative was welcomed by animal welfare campaigners in the UK.

Dr Katy Taylor, scientific adviser for the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, said: 'This is an exciting example of how modern-day innovation can produce a humane and more reliable approach to understanding the inner workings of human disease without the need for animal suffering.

'The USA appears to be leading the way in funding alternatives, it is now time for the UK to catch up.'

In the UK, efforts to find alternatives to animal testing are led by the the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs).

The independent but largely Government-funded body receives around £5.5 million a year.

 

Comments (7)

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But I like experimenting on animals and insects and DM readers. It's the only thing that gives life meaning.

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Animal Rights "terrorists"? Phillip from Liverpool is clearly cut from the same cloth as those closed minded backward members of the public who poured scorn on our Suffragettes at the turn of the last century. I for one will very pleased if this is the direction Medical Science will now be taking. It's called progress Phillip and it's what happens when we evolve into more enlightened and intelligent human beings.

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- Coley, Norwich UK, 25/7/2012 09:53----------------------- 2000 - Released album Garland for Linda, all proceeds went to Cancer Charity, 2003 - he played a personal concert for the wife of a wealthy banker and donated his one million dollars to the charity. I think you read it wrong somewhere Coley :)

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Great way for Sir Paul Macartney to honour his first wife's memory - with a large donation to the UK research team from his multi-millions. I read once that he never gives a penny to charities. Can this be true?

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Could not happen a moment too soon, Philip Liverpool, go and spend a day in a animal testing lab and see what goes on. In many surveys done the great majority of British people are opposed to animal testing , a lot of it unneccesary, are they all terrorists? How small minded can a person be...it astounds me!

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when animal testing is obsolete im wondering what all those animal rights terrorists will go after next, slaughter houses top my list. Their future slogan "Vegetarianism through fear"

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some bible bashing freak will pop up and say that the organ chip is against gods law cause it hurting human cells

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