Human “Body-on-a-Chip” Systems to Test Drug Efficacy and Toxicity
Michael Shuler,
Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Engineering,
Cornell University; President Hesperos, Inc.
Human microphysiological or “Body-on-a-Chip” systems are powerful tools
to assess the potential efficacy and toxicity of drugs in pre-clinical
studies. Having a human based, multiorgan system, that emulates key
aspects of human physiology can provide important insights to complement
animal studies in the decision about which drugs to move into clinical
trials. Our human surrogates are constructed using a low cost, robust
“pumpless” platform. We use this platform in conjunction with
“functional” measurements of electrical and mechanical activity of
tissue constructs (in collaboration with J. Hickman, University of
Central Florida). Using a system with four or more organs we can predict
the exchange of metabolites between organ compartments in response to
various drugs and dose levels. We will provide examples of using the
system to both predict the response of a target tissue as well as
off-target responses in other tissues/organs. We believe such models
will allow improved predictors of human clinical response from
preclinical studies.
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