Organ on a Chip Technology to be Milestone in Novel Drug Discovery

Confines of existing planar, static cell culture systems or animal models give rise to greater number of drug failures in clinical trials, thus causing a loss of billion dollars to pharmaceutical companies. Also, several human ailments are until now not correctly modelled as in vitro, this is imposing limitations on the understanding of novel drugs and therapy development. These issues highlight the serious need for more physiologically pertinent replicas of human organs, and also have driven the development of organ on a chip technology.

What is Organ on a Chip?

An organ on a chip is a small, microengineered biomimetic system used for impersonating the human body system. The aim of an organ on a chip is to create human tissue models for disease modeling and drug analysis. It consists of microfluidics and cells, and imitates the physiological and mechanical disorders experienced in the body.

An organ on a chip provides a more precise model than traditional cell culture for mimicking intricate cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Therefore, they potentially portray an extremely useful tool for medicinal and biochemical applications. Also, they help study human bodily processes of a particular organ, and hence empower the development of new in vitro disorder models.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has entered into a multi-year research and development contract to analyze this novel testing technology that produces human organ systems in miniscule on micro-engineered chips almost of the size of an AA battery. This groundbreaking technology has the competency to aid researchers in gaining a better understanding of the effects of drugs, chemicals, disease-causing microorganisms in foods, and other possibly injurious elements on the human body.

How is Organ on a Chip Technology Beneficial for Drug Development?

The pharmaceutical sector has been in an urgent need for competent drug discovery methods and the organ on a chip technology seems to open doors to more efficient drug discovery techniques. Nevertheless, successful integration of this innovative engineering techniques into routine pharmacological and medical circumstances is yet to be comprehended. Various drug development companies and researchers are taking steps to fuel the development of more efficient organ on a chip system. For instance, in January 2020, a new research center has opened at Queen Mary University of London. The research center is establish with an aim to revolutionize medical research and drug development using micro-engineered organ on a chip.

According to a report by Research Dive, the global organ on chip market is predicted to garner $6, 97,654.30 thousand by 2028, growing with a striking CAGR of 37.60% from 2021 to 2028. Researchers claim that organ on chip models are predicted to play a marvelous role in drug discovery and development in the coming years. The hope is that these models will help in more precise discovery of toxicity or effectiveness issues and lessen the degree of drug failures in human clinical trials.

How has the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted the Evolution of Organ on a Chip Technology?

The outburst of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for the integration of advanced technologies in the health sector. As the organ on chip technology is considered as one of the most favorable technologies for drug and vaccine discovery, the significance of organ on chip technology has raised steeply. As a result, the pandemic has had a positive impact on the growth of the global organ on chip market.

Despite the pandemic crisis, various companies are investing in the organ on chip technology. For instance, in March 2021, AIM Biotech, a Singapore-based startup company that develops innovative tools for research, drug development & clinical diagnostics, established a contract research service, which makes use of organ-on-a-chip technology to fast-track and enhance the discovery and development of drugs. The company’s 3D microfluidic organ-on-a-chip platform is well efficient in precisely mimicking the human body system than traditional tests. Therefore, using this technology drug discovery firms can produce more analytical data and better inform their decisions before clinical trials.

Diving into the Future of Organ on a Chip Technology

The organ on a chip technology is predicted to be the foundation for the future of personalized drugs, with the incorporation of patient-derived cells into the devices. With continuous advances, this technology can be able to curtail the use of animals in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic researchers, and also in toxicology studies.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.