Manufacturing Human Organs-on-Chips towards non-animal alternatives in drug discovery and research

Development of credible non-animal technologies is necessary before well-established animal tests can be eliminated from drug discovery, chemicals testing and basic research. Miniature devices that replicate human organ function in the laboratory, so-called "Organs-on-Chips", have already been used in the race to discover new medicines to treat viral infections and lung disease. Organs-on-Chips hold promise for broader applications where they would provide superior alternatives to animal tests by better predicting the human response to new drugs. This project will overcome important barriers to the more widespread adoption of Organs-on-Chips in research laboratories around the world by using innovative manufacturing techniques to produce low cost devices that are highly intuitive to use. The availability of Organs-on-Chips to a broader community of scientists will accelerate research in this important field, leading to less animal testing and making participation in clinical trials much safer.