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| April 6, 2015One of the ways in which NAVS fulfils its mission to end the exploitation of animals used in science is by supporting the development of non-animal alternatives. An innovative, human-relevant approach that has great potential to reduce, and even replace, the use of animals in science is the “organ-on-a-chip.”
We believe that these sophisticated cell-based models, which we have previously reported on in Science First, have great potential to revolutionize the course of scientific research, and are investing in their development through our affiliate, the International Foundation for Ethical Research. Recently, the journal Nature published an exciting article documenting the progress that is being made on organ-on-a-chip models, which represent simplified yet functional mini versions of human organs set on microchip-like devices. These models offer improvements over traditional two-dimensional cell culture, where cells are grown in plastic dishes, and have more human-relevance than animal models. Researchers are currently working to interconnect these mini-organs together with an artificial circulatory system to create a human-on-a-chip model. Many believe this technology will allow scientists to predict human responses much more accurately than existing animal experiments, and without the high expense and ethical issues. The Nature article nicely summarizes some of the steps that have been taken to generate organs-on-chips, including the significance of growing cells on appropriate scaffolding to allow them to organize themselves in more physiologically-relevant ways. The article also describes the advantages of applying physical forces to these systems, which adds an important dynamic component to the models, enabling them to mimic what happens in vivo, which affects cell organization and behavior. There are clear benefits to paying attention to these details and taking the time to tweak the models to make them as functional as possible, as these devices offer tremendous potential to reduce or replace animal use in many areas of study. According to Dr. Uwe Marx, founding scientist of TissUse, a company focused on organs-on-chips, “The goal now is to learn and understand the questions that could not be solved with animals or with any other single organ or single tissue culture solution so far.” We will continue to update you on the latest groundbreaking developments regarding these incredible models. What do you think of this week’s article on “organs-on-chips”? Do you think they will “re-humanize” biomedical research and reduce animal use? Send your questions and comments to sciencecorner@navs.org. I look forward to hearing from you. –Dr. Pam Osenkowski, Director of Science Programs |
| Artificial organs: Honey, I shrunk the lungs March 25, 2015Miniature versions of hearts, lungs and other organs are heralding a bright future for drug research and discovery.For more information see: Nature |