What if scientists could study some of the functions of a human organ using a device small enough to fit in your hand? That idea is becoming a reality through a fascinating technology called organ-on-a-chip.
Organ-on-a-chip model. Image: Kbjung / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Is an Organ-on-a-Chip?
An organ-on-a-chip is a small laboratory device designed to reproduce certain structures and functions of human tissues. Unlike a simple computer model, many of these systems contain living human cells.
Scientists can create different types of tissue chips to study parts of organs such as the lungs, heart, liver, pancreas and other tissues. Several chips can even be connected to investigate how different parts of the body interact.
Some organ chips are roughly the size of a USB drive, yet they can contain living human cells arranged to model specific biological functions.
Why Do Scientists Use Them?
Human biology is incredibly complex. Scientists need reliable ways to investigate how tissues respond to diseases, medicines and environmental conditions.
Tissue-chip systems provide a controlled environment where researchers can observe cellular responses and investigate biological processes. NASA notes that these technologies can be used to study responses to treatments and extreme conditions such as radiation.
Illustration of tissue-chip technology. Image: NCATS / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
From the Laboratory to Space
One of the most fascinating applications of this technology is connected to space exploration.
NASA is studying organ chips to investigate how conditions such as microgravity and deep-space radiation can affect human health.
In NASA's AVATAR investigation, organ chips containing human cells are being used to study biological changes associated with the harsh environment of deep space. The research is designed to improve our understanding of how the human body responds to spaceflight.
A Technology With Benefits on Earth
The potential benefits are not limited to astronauts. Researchers are also investigating how tissue-chip technology could contribute to disease research, drug development and more personalized approaches to medicine.
Because some chips can be created using cells obtained from human volunteers, scientists can study biological responses in models that are closely connected to human biology.
Human cell under a microscope. Image: D.daniel42 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
The Future of Medicine May Be Smaller Than We Think
Organ-on-a-chip technology is still developing, and it cannot reproduce every aspect of a complete human body. But it represents an exciting meeting point between biology, engineering, medicine and space science.
A device small enough to fit in your hand could help scientists investigate questions that once required much larger and more complicated experiments.
Scientific Sources
NASA Biological & Physical Sciences — Organ Chips: Avatars for Human Health.
NASA AVATAR Investigation — A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response.
Image credits and licenses are provided below each image.
0 Comments