Will animal experiments be replaced by micro biochips?

  The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Research and Development (the largest applied science institute in Europe) has recently developed a very promising microchip that can realistically simulate the complex metabolic processes of the human body and develop drugs in the future. Announced that it can be used. Completely replace the animal model in the experiment. In the laboratory, animals have always been an important experimental model to prove the efficacy of drugs. Because it is usually not enough to test the effect of a specific substance on a single isolated tissue or cell.

  Evaluation of the effects of drugs in the body is based on their overall impact, and toxic substances produced by metabolic processes can affect certain other organs. But the problem is that the response of animals cannot be completely representative of the human body. Researchers from the Institute of Biotechnology at the Berlin Institute of Technology and the Dresden laboratory have collaborated to design a multi-organ chip that can reproduce the complexity of the human body with amazing accuracy during the metabolic process. The researchers said they copied the structure of the human body at a ratio of 1:100,000. Cells from different organs are located at different locations within the chip, and these "mini-organs" are connected to each other by small tubes. Micro pumps continuously pump liquid cell culture fluid to various "organs" through these micro channels to simulate the human blood circulation system. The biggest advantage of the chip is that researchers can modify the structure of the chip as needed to simulate different pathological or physiological conditions, such as the number of "organs" and their connections with microchannels. This technology can be used not only to detect the effective ingredients of new drugs, but also to detect the skin's resistance to new cosmetics.

  Although the concept of working fluid channels for connecting different types of cell samples is not new, this new technology has obvious advantages compared with similar technologies. Through professional engineering design, the micro pump can keep the liquid flow of the pipeline below 0.5 microliters/sec. This ratio best mimics the relationship between cells and liquid media. Secondly, the on-chip microfluidic system can ensure constant and continuous flow, similar to human blood. This is very important. The researchers installed cells on a chip, tested the effects of related substances, and clearly detected the effects of metabolites produced in certain cells and other cells. This method is more compelling than testing drugs in animal models, because the animal-human response cannot be reduced in a 1:1 ratio.

  This technology has been used in many cosmetic industries. Perhaps in the near future, microchips will also find applications in the field of drug research.