Micro- and Nanotechnologies
Podium
Daniel Levner, PhD
Chief Technology Officer
Emulate, Inc.
Organ-Chips - such as the Lung-, Liver-, Brain- and Intestine-Chips - are micro-engineered systems that display physiological functions consistent with human in vivo. Each Organ-Chip is composed of a clear flexible polymer about the size of a AA battery that contains hollow channels lined by living human cells; these cells are cultured under continuous flow and mechanical forces, which recreate key aspects of the in vivo cellular microenvironment. We have found that cells cultured within the engineered 3D microenvironments of Organ-Chips go beyond conventional in vitro models, making Organ-Chips more predictive of in vivo physiology. Accordingly, Organ-Chips enable the study of normal physiology, pathophysiology, and mechanisms of action or toxicity in an organ-specific context. In this presentation, we will highlight studies from collaborative efforts across our Human Emulation System with various academic and industry partners to demonstrate the utility of the system as a more predictive human-relevant platform for efficacy, safety and mechanistic studies.