Written by Colin K. (KIS'27)
━━ Nov 13, 2023━━
One of the prime issues that the pharmaceutical industry currently faces is its “high attrition rate”, where a large factor of medications are proven to be unusable or unsafe during the verifying and testing process. The high failure rate is not only costly to the pharmaceutical industry but also slows down the clinical use of new medicines, hindering access to better treatment options for patients.
This problem can mostly be attributed to the animal testing techniques we use today. These techniques, while extremely efficient, fail to completely mimic the specific cues and reactions of cells, making them highly unreliable when put into clinical use. Following the rise of such problems in recent years, debates regarding organ-on-a-chip have dominated research.
Organ-on-a-chip, often shortened to OoC, is a biological device that copies the function of the human body. These chips come in various shapes and forms, recapitulating a specific part of physiology, such as the brain and lungs. The so-called ‘organ” that is referred to is more akin to a micro engineered ecosystem taking the form of little 3D channels. The fact that it is in 3D allows cells and other microscopic organisms to prosper and interact with each other under a safely monitored environment, making it more realistic than traditionally used animal testing or 2D technology. Scientists would “send” certain medications or chemicals through these systematic environments, to analyze the results and decide whether or not it is safe to be used on our human body.
Even though the system of such devices is more straightforward than actual organs, scientists believe that it provides a reliable, but extremely efficient opportunity to observe tissues and cell behavior when in contact with reactions.
If this technology is used more widely in producing new medicines, such as antibiotics and painkillers, it will have a lasting effect on how we treat patients as a whole. When testing drugs on animals or 2D-created devices, room for mistakes or miscalculations exists, to the point where it would be proven useless right before wide production. This causes a significant slowdown in the making of new cures for patients. However, using OoC, we can reasonably be certain that the tested drugs are safe, promoting good health and saving the sick.
There is a long way to go in order for OoC to be common practice for medicine. But, utilized correctly, it might as well be the future of health.
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Credits:
Zhu, X. (2020, February 12). Organ-on-a-chip: recent breakthroughs and future prospects - BioMedical Engineering OnLine. BioMedical Engineering OnLine. Retrieved September 25, 2023, from https://biomedical-engineering-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12938-020-0752-0
Organ-on-a-Chip Technology | Eureka blog. (2022, June 9). Charles River Laboratories. Retrieved September 25, 2023, from https://www.criver.com/eureka/coming-age-organ-chip-technology
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