The project involves using human cells to create tiny organ-like structures that mimic the function of the heart, liver, lung and blood vessels. Placed on a 2-inch chip, these structures will be connected to a system of fluid channels and sensors to provide on-line monitoring of individual organs and the overall organ system.
The circulating blood substitute will keep the cells alive and can be used to introduce chemical or biologic agents, as well as potential therapies, into the system. Hollow channels will automatically guide the toxins or therapies that are being evaluated from one tissue to the next and sensors will measure real-time temperature, oxygen levels, PH and other factors.
While the idea of culturing 3-D human tissue on a chip is not new, this will be one of the first efforts to combine several organs in the same device to model the human response to chemical toxins or biologic agents.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston – micro- and nanoscale bioengineering devices for controlling cellular behavior.
University of Michigan – microscale models of the body and biomolecular devices and technologies for high-throughput drug testing.
The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center – chemical warfare agent research, development, engineering, and testing.
Morgan State University – laboratory testing of cell cultures to identify the ideal blood surrogate.
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health – toxicity testing and identification.
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