Explore more about: Tissue Chips

With the help of photolithography and programmable DNA, researchers have created a new technique that can rapidly 'print' two-dimensional arrays of cells and proteins that mimic a wide variety of cellular environments in the body. This technique could help scientists develop a better understanding of the complex cell-to-cell messaging that dictates a cell's final fate.

Biological engineers have created a multitissue model that lets them study the relationships between different organs and the immune system on a microfluidic chip seeded with human cells. With this 'organs-on-a-chip' model, they could explore the role of immune cells in ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory diseases.

The novel approach better mimics the tumor environment in patients. Made with extracellular matrix (ECM) from pig brains and seeded with tumors from patients, the system is revealing tumor/ECM interactions that aid tumor growth, providing potential targets for new therapies.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $3.4 million to a team of researchers at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech to develop and produce a “lymph node on a chip.” This tiny, yet sophisticated physical model of the gland will be designed to help researchers better understand the inner workings of the node itself, and, thereby, the broader immune system.

Read more at UVA Today.

Biography of Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Ph.D., a professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University engineers and builds tissues to improve health and cure disease.