This chip full of cells and fluids mimics the mechanical and biochemical behaviors of a human lung. In the future it may help scientists conduct more accurate drug screenings.
In the past few years scientists have been building organs on chips
---microfluidic devices seeded with human cells and designed to function like miniatures of real-life lungs, hearts
and kidneys
. Scientists hope these mock organs will eventually help to understand and treat diseases, but first, they have to get these fake organs, well, sick. Researchers at Harvard recently reported some success: they have given their chip a lung condition
. The model lung involved in the study looks less like a breathing apparatus than a translucent domino hooked up to tiny tubes, through which air and a blood-like fluid circulate, keeping the cells within fed and aerated. Scientists used it to test a chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of ...
