‘Organs-on-Chips’ Technology: FDA Testing Groundbreaking Science

By: Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Ph.D.

There are many things you might envision putting on a chip. It’s unlikely that a human organ is one of them.

But creating human organ systems in miniature on micro-engineered chips about the size of a AA battery is a revolutionary testing technology that has captured the attention of food scientists at FDA. And FDA has a leading role in evaluating this science, designed to provide a more precise model for studying the effects of potentially harmful chemical and biological hazards in food, cosmetics or dietary supplements than is now available.

On April 11, 2017, FDA announced a multi-year research and development agreement with a company called Emulate Inc. to evaluate the company’s “Organs-on-Chips” technology in laboratories at the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, one of a number of FDA efforts to help evaluate this chip technology.

Read the entire blog at FDA Voice.