IIT Bombay and ICMR-NIRWoH build placenta-on-chip to test medicines
Researchers at IIT Bombay and ICMR-National Institute for Research on Women's Health (ICMR-NIRWoH) have built a tiny lab-grown placenta, called "placenta-on-chip."
This clever device acts like a real human placenta, letting scientists safely test how medicines, nutrients, or even pollutants move from mother to baby, without needing actual pregnancies or complicated setups.
It could help answer big questions about pregnancy-safe treatments and tricky conditions like gestational diabetes.
Chip tests medicines using human cells
Unlike animal tests, this chip uses real human cells for more accurate results.
Researcher Anshul Bhide says it can help check if medicines are safe for pregnant people.
Professor Deepak Modi adds that it also lets scientists see how infections might affect fetal health, while the article notes it can also be used to study the impact of pollutants on placental function, all in a much simpler way than before.