Bioprinting: life from the printer
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Image: Colorful cell organoid of a retina with a yellow dot of DNA; Copyright: Cassian Afting, AG Wittbrodt

Cassian Afting, AG Wittbrodt

Controlling organoid development with the help of DNA microspheres

27.09.2024

A research team from Heidelberg University and the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research has developed a new method of molecular engineering. This makes it possible to precisely control organoids and improve their complexity. With the help of DNA microspheres, growth factors can be released in a targeted manner to recreate tissue structures more realistically.
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Image: Fluorescence microscopy image of a lab-grown

Thomas Dennison/University of Cambridge

Lab-grown 'mini-guts' offer new insights for Crohn’s disease treatments

06.09.2024

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed lab-grown "mini-guts" to better understand and treat Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease affecting millions worldwide. These mini-guts, or organoids, mimic the gut lining's key functions and could pave the way for more personalized and effective treatments.
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Image: Medical staff carry cool box on the aircraft.

Heart transplants: Improved outcomes with "heart-in-a-box" technology

22.08.2024

A recent study from the University of Gothenburg, published in The Lancet, highlights a significant improvement in heart transplant outcomes when donor hearts are preserved using hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion, commonly known as "heart-in-a-box," compared to the traditional method of cold static storage.
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Image: The background is black and in the foreground, there are some sugar tubes and pastilles. Furthermore, there is the almost transparent organ-on-chip; Copyright: Silke Riegger, 3R-Center

Silke Riegger, 3R-Center

Diabetes: technology enhances molecular understanding

26.03.2024

With over seven million individuals in Germany affected by diabetes, science still faces challenges in drug research. However, under the leadership of Prof. Peter Loskill from both the NMI and the University of Tübingen, scientists have devised a method that markedly enhances our understanding at the molecular and cellular levels within the pancreas.
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Image: Pediatrician examines newborn baby in a bed in a clinic; Copyright: Lobachad

Lobachad

Enhancing neonatal intensive care with ArtPlac project

19.01.2024

The European Union is providing €3.57 million in funding for the "ArtPlac" research project, aimed at developing innovative medical technology for the treatment of premature and newborn infants in neonatal intensive care.
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Image: Close-up: A doctor looks at a brain scan; Copyright: XiXinXing

XiXinXing

Evaluating brain tumours with artificial intelligence

22.12.2023

One application area of artificial intelligence (AI) is in medicine, especially in medical diagnostics. For instance, scans can be analysed automatically with the help of algorithms. An international and interdisciplinary team led by researchers from TU Darmstadt recently investigated whether AI can better evaluate images of brain tumours.
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Image: Human organs made of paper lie on a table with the word

FabianMontano

Organ banks and the potential of deep-freezing

28.11.2023

We still face major challenges when it comes to the availability of donor organs. Organ banks could be a promising solution to shorten waiting times and save more lives - but only if we manage to preserve donor organs for longer.
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Image: Close-up of a human gray blue eye; Copyright: David Callahan

David Callahan

Eye implant may be used to treat diabetes

27.10.2023

Researchers in Sweden have developed a microscale device for implantation in the eye, which presents new opportunities for cell-based treatment of diabetes and other diseases.
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Image: 3D illustration of red and elongated Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Copyright: iLexx

iLexx

Why tuberculosis bacteria form long chains

25.10.2023

A researcher team from Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne led by Dr. Vivek Thacker now group leader at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Heidelberg University Hospital have studied why tuberculosis bacteria form long strands and how this affects their infectivity.
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Image: “Organ-on-chip” symbol image. Close-up of a biochip on a black background; Copyright: NMI

NMI

Menopause: leveraging organ-on-chip technology for new insights

09.10.2023

Addressing the impact of female menopause on dynamic resilience and exploring preventive and therapeutic strategies is the aim of an international and interdisciplinary research group led by Prof. Dr. Peter Loskill from the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute and the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen.
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Image: Cellular Cartography - Charting the Sizes and Abundance of Our Body's Cells Reveals Mathematical Order Underlying Life; Copyright: MPIMIS

MPIMIS

Cellular cartography: sizes and abundance revealed

27.09.2023

An international team of scientists has created the first comprehensive index of human cells, mapping the sizes and abundance of all cell types across the entire body.
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Image: Man with dark hair, glasses and a checked shirt smiles into the camera against a gray and white background; Copyright: Peer Erfle/IMT

Peer Erfle/IMT

Microchips: better understand diseases like schizophrenia

15.09.2023

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the recipients of its prestigious Starting Grants. Among them is a researcher from the Technical University of Braunschweig: Dr. Thomas Winkler will receive €1.5 million for his research on modular organ-on-chip technology to better understand neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.
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Image: A man with dark hair and a white shirt inspects a 3D printer; Copyright: Patrick Mansell/Penn State

Patrick Mansell/Penn State

High-speed bioprinting of bones, tracheas, organs

28.07.2023

Developing technology to quickly and efficiently bioprint human tissues at scale is the goal of a new project led by Penn State researchers. When fully developed, the technology will be the first to enable the fabrication of scalable, native tissues such as bones, tracheas and organs.
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Image: The superior cervical ganglion of a mouse: Here, neurons that control the heart muscle are in close proximity to those that control the pineal gland; Copyright: Karin Ziegler / TUM

Karin Ziegler / TUM

Cardiac disease: new technique shows cause of sleep disturbance

27.07.2023

In a paper published in the journal Science, a team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) shows that heart diseases affect the production of the sleep hormone melatonin in the pineal gland.
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Image: Symbolic photo: It shows a used CytoSorb® cartridge; Copyright: Karin Kaiser / MHH

Karin Kaiser / MHH

Adsorber in blood purification: widely used, no proven benefit

19.07.2023

Many hospitals use the adsorber CytoSorb to purify the blood of seriously ill patients in order to trap inflammatory substances and prevent the life-threatening cytokine storm. MHH researchers have now found in a meta-study that the treatment does not reduce mortality and may even cause harm.
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Image: Close-up of an ultrasound scan of a female abdomen by a female doctor; Copyright: Natabuena

Natabuena

Functional imaging: intestinal and liver diseases mutually influence each other

06.07.2023

The research groups of Prof. Trautwein (University Hospital RWTH Aachen) and Prof. Hengstler (Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors in Dortmund) have made a surprising discovery about the interaction of the liver and the intestine.
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Image: Two women with loose hair and colorful blazers pose in front of an institute; Copyright: Gregor Hübl / Universität Bonn

Gregor Hübl / Universität Bonn

Researching organoids: two new Argelander Professors at the University of Bonn

21.06.2023

Two new assistant professors at the University of Bonn are setting out to develop “mini-organs” in order to study metabolic and disease mechanisms.
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Image: A puzzle-like model of a lung made of building blocks on a red background; Copyright: yavdat

yavdat

AI enables first integrated single-cell atlas of the lung

15.06.2023

Can a human organ be mapped on a single-cell level to learn more about each individual cell? And can we learn how different these cells are from person to person? Helmholtz Munich researchers and their collaborators have taken up this challenge and developed the Human Lung Cell Atlas using artificial intelligence (AI)-based techniques.
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Image: PhD student Maja Struczynska with the model of a single fibrinogen molecule; Copyright: Jens Meyer/Uni Jena

Jens Meyer/Uni Jena

Specially coated titanium reduces risk of clots on prostheses

26.05.2023

An international research team led by the german University of Jena has now developed a promising approach to significantly reducing blood clotting on the heart valve material titanium.
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Image: Close-up of a WFIRM gyroid-shaped construct on a blue-gloved hand; Copyright: WFIRM

WFIRM

Bioprinting research makes history when it soars to the ISS

17.05.2023

The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) will make history this month when the first bioprinted solid tissue constructs soar to the International Space Station (ISS) on board the next all private astronaut mission by commercial space leader Axiom Space.
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Image: 3D cross section of a kidney; Copyright: European Cooperation in Science and Technology

European Cooperation in Science and Technology

Imaging chronic kidney disease

12.05.2023

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has shown a high potential to distinguish biomarkers for CKD, but renal MRI biomarkers are currently underused in research and clinical practice.
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Image: An example of virtual staining of tissue. Unstained tissue on the left, chemically stained tissue in the middle and virtually stained tissue on the right; Copyright: Pekka Ruusuvuori

Pekka Ruusuvuori

AI-based method to replace chemical staining of tissue

21.04.2023

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence-based method for virtual staining of histopathological tissue samples as a part of the Nordic ABCAP consortium.
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Image: A human brain organoid (red) grows on the hammock-like structure of a mesh MEA; Copyright: Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine

Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine

Microelectrode array: hammock for brain organoids

20.04.2023

Novel microelectrode array system enables long-term cultivation and electrophysiological analyses of brain organoids.
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Image: Tissue engineering, tweezers with a solution in a laboratory vessel; Copyright: Fraunhofer-Translationszentrum/Fraunhofer ISC

Fraunhofer-Translationszentrum/Fraunhofer ISC

SAPs4Tissue: human tissue models with customized biomaterials

12.04.2023

In a joint project of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, and the Translational Center for Regenerative Therapies at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC, Würzburg, scientific principles and biomaterials for the standardized production of valid tissue models are to be developed.
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Image: Fluorescence staining of Arlo cells. The image shows the overlay of a staining of cell nuclei (gray) and the tight junction protein 1 (blue); Copyright: HIPS/Boese

HIPS/Boese

New cell model for the human lung

16.02.2023

A team led by Prof Claus-Michael Lehr of the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) has developed a novel human lung cell line that should enable much more accurate predictions of the behavior of active substances or dosage forms in humans than previous systems.
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Image: A closeup of a foot on red fabric pads; Copyright: CC BY-SA 2.0.

CC BY-SA 2.0.

More accurate way of checking the blood flow in the feet of patients with type 2 diabetes

15.02.2023

Aston University scientists have discovered a more accurate way of checking the blood flow in the feet of patients with type 2 diabetes.
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Image: Human blood cells, highly magnified under the microscope; Copyright: PeterHermesFurian

PeterHermesFurian

"Spleen-on-a-chip" yields insight into sickle cell disease

06.02.2023

With this microfluidic device, researchers modeled how sickled blood cells clog the spleen’s filters, leading to a potentially life-threatening condition.
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Image: A sleeveless shirt is shown with a transmitter that sends the data to a smartphone via radio link; Copyright: Osaka Metropolitan University

Osaka Metropolitan University

Realtime monitoring with wearable reveals IBS-related changes

18.01.2023

Associate Professor Fumio Tanaka and his research group at the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine recorded the autonomic nervous system activity of IBS patients and healthy subjects using a wearable device and tracked activities such as defecation and sleep.
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Image: Two men and two women are standing in a laboratory and examining a small apparatus (microphysiological system); Copyright: Amac Garbe/Fraunhofer IWS

Amac Garbe/Fraunhofer IWS

Radioactive substances fight cancer in the mini-lab

13.01.2023

Two Dresden research institutes want to reduce the number of animal experiments in radiopharmaceutical research with a new idea.
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Image: A person in a white t-shirt is holding an anatomical model of the kidney in front of their abdomen; Copyright: PantherMedia/benschonewille

PantherMedia/benschonewille

Technology against organ shortage – Support for the successful transplant

03.02.2022

The waiting time for a donor organ is long nowadays since the need for organs vastly exceeds their availability. But we have possibilities to improve the situation and help as many people as possible to survive despite organ failure: Some organ functions can already be substituted by technology. But medicine is also researching ways to make more organs available for transplant.
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Image: Man with a bare upper-body is showing an implanted cardiac support system; Copyright: PantherMedia/NikD51

PantherMedia/NikD51

Donor organs: Solving the shortage with technology

03.01.2022

Patients waiting for a donor organ must have a lot of patience and a bit of luck. Aging and a rise in chronic disease prevalence means the need for donor organs is much greater than the number that is available. To help those who need organ transplants, scientists must create new technologies.
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Image: A normothermic perfusion machine; Copyright: Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Machine Perfusion: Increasing the Safety of Marginal Organ Transplants

03.01.2022

The shortage of donor organs is a major global issue. An aging population, a reluctance towards organ donation, and logistical challenges related to organ shipping play an important role in this setting. Machine perfusion can be a way to expand and preserve the donor pool for eligible transplant recipients.
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Image: Professor Dr. Danny Jonigk and Christopher Werlein; Copyright: Karin Kaiser / MHH

Karin Kaiser / MHH

New X-ray technique shows vascular damage in intact COVID-19 lungs for first time

05.11.2021

When the coronavirus enters the lung, it causes massive tissue damage. Now, an international research team has been able to demonstrate for the first time, using a highly innovative X-ray technique in a non-destructive manner, that severe COVID-19 causes massive remodelling of the finest blood vessels by causing normally separate blood systems to join together with unusual frequency.
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Image: Preview picture of video

Tissue Engineering and Bioprinting – From artificial heart valves and printed humans

27.01.2021

Drug research and artificial skin replacement - these are the areas in which tissue engineering and bioprinting are already used today. What else could be possible in the future? We asked Dr. Nadine Nottrodt from Fraunhofer ILT and Prof. Sabine Neuß-Stein from RWTH Aachen University Hospital!
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Image: three vials, one with hydrogels, one with bio ink and one with unmodified gelatine; Copyright: Fraunhofer IGB

"Cells are highly sensitive" – material development for bioprinting

01.12.2020

The big hope of bioprinting is to someday be able to print whole human organs. So far, the process has been limited to testing platforms such as organs-on-a-chip. That's because the actual printing process already poses challenges. Scientists need suitable printing materials that ensure the cell's survival as it undergoes the procedure. The Fraunhofer IGB is researching and analyzing this aspect.
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Image: Illustrations of various 3D-printed prostheses, implants and organs; Copyright: PantherMedia/annyart

Printed life – possibilities and limits of bioprinting

01.12.2020

Implants, prostheses and various other components made of plastic, metal or ceramics are already being produced by additive manufacturing. But skin, blood vessels or entire organs from the printer – is that possible? For years now, intensive research has been underway into the production of biologically functional tissue using printing processes. Some things are already possible with bioprinting.
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Image: cell matrix; Copyright: TU Wien

Multi-photon lithography: printing cells with micrometer accuracy

01.12.2020

How do cells react to certain drugs? And how exactly is new tissue created? This can be analyzed by using bioprinting to embed cells in fine frameworks. However, current methods are often imprecise or too slow to process cells before they are damaged. At the TU Vienna, a high-resolution bioprinting process has now been developed using a new bio-ink.
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Image: 3D printer with a human heart inside, next to a box with

Bioprinting: life from the printer

01.12.2020

It aims at the production of test systems for drug research and gives patients on the waiting lists for donor organs hope: bioprinting. Thereby biologically functional tissues are printed. But how does that actually work? What are the different bioprinting methods? And can entire organs be printed with it? These and other questions are examined in our Topic of the Month.
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Image: Computer-generated image of an arborizing blood vessel; Copyright: panthermedia.net/Ugreen

Angiogenesis: light shows blood vessels the way

03.02.2020

Regenerative medicine aims to replace damage in the body with functional tissue and restore normal function. The first defense for large defects are implants made of hydrogels, designed to promote cell growth. They need their own blood supply, which is a problem when it comes to larger implants because you cannot regulate where and how the blood vessels grow - until now.
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Image: Two knees of a woman next to each other, the left knee has a surgical suture; Copyright: panthermedia.net/wujekspeed

Regenerative medicine: creating a new body?

03.02.2020

Regenerative medicine aims to repair the human body after injuries, accidents or major cancer surgery. Unfortunately, we are still not at a stage where this process can achieve optimal results for every conceivable situation. Having said that, various new methods are on the cusp of breakthrough.
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Image: The shoulder of a man with a surgical suture; Copyright: panthermedia.net/JPCPROD

Regenerative medicine: helps the body healing

03.02.2020

Severe wounds heal slowly and leave scars. This is why we have been using regenerative therapies for some time now to accelerate and improve healing. They also help to avoid permanent damage. Still, complex applications like replacing organs or limbs will rather remain vision than become reality for a long time.
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Image: Endoscope capsule (left) next to an endoscope tube (right); Copyright: panthermedia.net/phonlamai

panthermedia.net/phonlamai

A new type of endoscopy – small, easy, comfortable

22.01.2020

Patients have to undergo a gastroscopy to rule out gastrointestinal conditions. Many dread this procedure since a thin, flexible tube is being pushed through the esophagus and stomach. Ovesco Endoscopy AG has teamed up with other project partners in the nuEndo research project to develop a capsule endoscopy device that is tiny, easy to swallow and makes the test more comfortable for the patient.
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Image: doctor consoles patients before surgery; Copyright: panthermedia.net/luckybusiness

Endoprosthetic surgery: modern and traditional approaches

01.01.2020

Surgery is required if you need an artificial joint. Patients and doctors must select the type of surgery that’s best suited and choose between robot-assisted, traditional or minimally invasive surgical approaches. Post-operative risks should be kept to a minimum, while benefits should outweigh any possible complications.
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Image: patient with pain in fingers; Copyright: panthermedia.net/Milkos

APRICOT-project: implant "help(s) patients heal themselves"

01.01.2020

Today, people tend to live longer, while an increasing number of patients suffer from osteoarthritis. Even younger generations are now at a higher risk of getting osteoarthritis due to the frequent use of mobile devices. The EU research project APRICOT aims to develop a novel type of implant for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the hands – helping patients heal themselves.
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Image: Blood sample labelled

panthermedia.net/olanstock

Cardiac diagnostics – prompt and personalized

08.11.2019

If physicians suspect an acute myocardial infarction, they first order an ECG. This test is very established and allows cardiologists to quickly diagnose acute heart attacks – though the test does not detect less common heart attack symptoms. So far, those patients had to wait up to twelve hours before a heart attack could be accurately diagnosed or ruled out. But things are about the change.
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Image: Man with mouthguard and laboratory glasses holding Petri dish up; Copyright: panthermedia.net/kasto

panthermedia.net/kasto

Cardiac Tissue Engineering: a heart out of the Petri dish

23.09.2019

For patients waiting for donor organs, every day can mean the difference between life and death. Making things even more complicated is the fact that not every organ is a compatible match with the patient. It would mean enormous progress if we could grow organs from the patient's own cells in the lab. That's why patients with heart disease place big hope in tissue engineering.
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Image: Preview picture of video

Multi-organ chips: Drug research without animal testing at vasQlab

15.05.2019

New active substances that are suitable for drugs are initially tested in animal experiments. However, the results cannot always be transferred to the human organism. At the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Prof. Ute Schepers from vasQlab explains how active substances can be tested in human tissue without endangering human health.
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Image: Lung monitoring of a patient with PulmoVista 500 by Draeger; Copyright: Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA

Restoring Pulmonary Function

01.03.2019

People suffering from lung disease temporarily need ventilator support because they are unable to breathe naturally. Mechanical ventilation is designed to ensure the survival of these patients. The goal is to adapt the ventilator settings and tailor them the patient's specific needs and prevent lung tissue damage.
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Image: Preemie doll with drug delivery system on the nose; Copyright: Fraunhofer ITEM/Till Holland

Fraunhofer ITEM/Till Holland

Gentle medication for the little ones – with every breath

22.02.2019

According to the WHO, ten percent of babies worldwide are born prematurely. Since most organs of these tiny babies have not fully developed yet, it can quickly lead to complications and disorders and most notably affect the lungs of the premature infants. What's more, infections require gentle treatment, as the preemies themselves are fragile and susceptible – making this a challenging situation.
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Image: Man and woman in a laboratory presenting a multi-organ chip; Copyright: TissUse GmbH

Multi-Organ Chips – The Patients of Tomorrow?

01.02.2019

The liver, nervous tissue or the intestines: all are important human organs that have in the past been tested for their function and compatibility using animal or in vitro test methods. In recent years, TissUse GmbH, a spin-off of the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin), has launched multi-organ chip platforms. But that’s not all.
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Image: Cell cultivation in a Petri dish; Copyright: panthermedia.net / matej kastelic

Organ-on-a-chip – Organs in miniature format

01.02.2019

In vitro processes and animal tests are used to develop new medications and novel therapeutic approaches. However, animal testing raises important ethical concerns. Organ-on-a-chip models promise to be a feasible alternative. In a system the size of a smartphone, organs are connected using artificial circulation.
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