Canadian researchers develop mini heart-on-a-chip to test medicines
Scientists from multiple Canadian institutions, including researchers at the University of Montreal, have made a mini 3D heart-on-a-chip that actually beats—aiming to provide a safer, more human-like way to test new medicines and potentially reduce reliance on animal testing.
The chip uses rat heart cells in a gel on flexible silicon and can show how real hearts might react to different drugs.
Chip has 2 sensors that track strength of each beat
This chip comes with two sensors that track both the strength of each beat and stress on the cells, all in real time.
The plan is to use patient-specific cells (like from people with heart conditions) so doctors can try out treatments on your own cells before you ever take them.
The tech could help in personalizing medicine
Many drug candidates fail during development because safety and efficacy can be hard to predict.
This tech could help personalize medicine, cut down risky side effects, and speed up getting better treatments out there—without needing animal tests.