National Geographic Takes an Interest in Organs-on-Chips Research

Biomedical researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA have caught the attention of National Geographic. The magazine published a special edition this month covering "The Future of Medicine" that highlights the innovative stem-cell science of Cedars-Sinai, showing how investigators there are seeking to use stem cells and organs-on-chips to tailor personalized medical treatments. The cover photo of the special issue features research being conducted at Cedars-Sinai in collaboration with Boston, MA-based Emulate, a startup developing a tissue-based technology designed to replicate human organ-level function that is used to model organs in healthy and diseased states. According to Cedars-Sinai, scientists can place copies of patients' own cells (created from their stem cells) inside transparent chips that are the size of AA batteries. Drugs then can be tested on the cells, to help doctors tailor treatment options to the individual patient. Using this technique, Cedars-Sinai has so far created functioning tissues of intestinal linings and spinal cords inside the chips, and more tissues are planned. Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), ovarian cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease (which includes Crohn's and ulcerative colitis) are among the disorders being studied on the chip. The pioneering Patient-on-a-Chip program is a collaboration between the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, directed by Clive Svendsen, P...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: R & D Source Type: news