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Opportunities and challenges with microphysiological systems: a pharma end-user perspective

Using human-relevant, translational in vitro models is widely considered to reduce attrition during drug discovery and development. Despite this, the adoption of models based on microphysiological systems — organs-on-chips or organoids — by pharma companies is moderate at best, and realizing the full potential of these models will need greater collaboration between stakeholders.
  1. Lorna Ewart

    1. Veroli Consulting Limited, Cambridge, UK.

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  2. Adrian Roth

    1. Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

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More effective prediction of clinical outcomes during preclinical testing of drug candidates is needed to reduce the high attrition rates in drug development. One potential solution is the application of human microphysiological systems (MPSs) — in vitro models that emulate the cellular microenvironment by encouraging cells outside the body to behave as though they were still inside it. It is hoped that such systems based on human cells (often from patients) will model effects in humans more effectively than standard cell-based screens and animal models and thereby reduce the risk of results failing to translate from preclinical screening cascades to tests in humans.

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Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 20, 327-328 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41573-020-00030-2

References

  1. Jang, K. J. et al. Reproducing human and cross-species drug toxicities using a Liver-Chip. Sci. Transl Med. 11, eaax5516 (2019).

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  2. Franzen, N. et al. Impact of organ-on-a-chip technology on pharmaceutical R&D costs. Drug Discov. Today 24, 1720–1724 (2019).

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  3. Ewart, L. et al. Navigating tissue chips from development to dissemination: a pharmaceutical industry perspective. Exp. Biol. Med. 242, 1579–1585 (2017).

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Competing Interests

L. E. is now an employee of Emulate Inc., a company that specializes in the development and commercialization of Organ-Chips.

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