In a breakthrough that could mean the end for animal testing, scientists have created a heart-on-a-chip that is capable of collecting data on how strongly the organ is beating.

    Built using a new automated* digital manufacturing* technique, it is the first entirely 3-D printed organ on a chip and can be made quickly in a number of forms, researchers say.

    It is hoped the breakthrough may one day allow scientists to design organs-on-chips that will be used for the testing of medicines.

    Organs-on-chips are not designed to be inserted into the human body to replace a failing organ.

    Instead they are intended to be used for scientific research, in a bid to accelerate the development of new drugs and advance personalized* medicine. Being transparent*, they provide a window into the inner workings of our organs. They may even replace animal testing in the future.

    “This new programmable approach to building organs-on-chips not only allows us to easily change and customize* the design of the system by integrating sensing but also drastically simplifies data acquisition,” said the study’s first author, Harvard-based Johan Ulrik Lind. “Our microfabrication* approach opens new avenues for in vitro tissue* engineering, toxicology* and drug screening research,” said co-author Kit Parker, professor of bioengineering and applied physics.

    (SD-Agencies)