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Tissue Chip for Drug Screening

On board the International Space Station, sensors attached to chambers containing the heart tissue chips detected changes in magnetic force as the tissues’ contractions moved posts with embedded magnets.
Studying Microgravity’s Effects on Heart Tissue Chips

Researchers are studying NCATS-supported miniaturized tissue chip systems modeling the heart and the gut in microgravity on the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory.

Researchers holding a tissue chip
NCATS-Supported Researchers Find Cell Source Matters for Tissue Chips

Researchers from the Tissue Chip Testing Center at Texas A&M University have evaluated a kidney-on-a-chip’s ability to perform the same functions as real kidneys.

About Tissue Chip

Read more about the Tissue Chip program and its goal to create 3-D organs-on-chips for drug safety and efficacy testing.

Tissue Chip Funding Information

Find more information about how the Tissue Chip program funds innovative research.

Meet Chip

Chip can help you learn about the innovative developments of the Tissue Chip for Drug Screening program at NCATS. Click on Chip's icons to learn more about the tissues and organ systems they represent, and read more about the entire project.

About Tissue Chip

Read more about the Tissue Chip program and its goal to create 3-D organs-on-chips for drug safety and efficacy testing.

Tissue Chip Funding Information

Find more information about how the Tissue Chip program funds innovative research.

Meet Chip

Chip can help you learn about the innovative developments of the Tissue Chip for Drug Screening program at NCATS. Click on Chip's icons to learn more about the tissues and organ systems they represent, and read more about the entire project.

Work With Us

The Tissue Chip for Drug Screening program is designed to improve the way new drugs are developed and tested. Learn more about how you can join this effort.

Contact Danilo Tagle, Ph.D.

Why Tissue Chips Matter

Approximately 30 percent of promising medications have failed in human clinical trials because they are determined to be toxic — despite promising pre-clinical studies in animal and cell models. Tissue chips are a newer, human cell–based approach to this challenge. The chip devices may enable scientists to predict more accurately how effective a therapeutic candidate would be in clinical studies.

Eliminating toxic and/or ineffective drugs earlier in the development process would save time and money. These human tissue chips also could teach us a great deal about disease progression, enabling researchers to better prevent, diagnose and treat disorders. Learn more about the Tissue Chip for Drug Screening program.

Watch the Tissue Chip for Drug Screening video to learn more about the program. The media player works best when viewed in Chrome or Internet Explorer browsers.

Tissue Chip Facts

Download the Tissue Chip fact sheet (PDF - 337KB).