A groundbreaking three-organ system has been developed to improve drug testing while reducing reliance on animal studies. Created through a collaboration between Dynamic42, ESQlabs, Bayer’s Consumer Health Division, and the Placenta Lab at Jena University Hospital, the system offers a more accurate and ethical alternative for studying drug metabolism and safety. The results of this one-year pilot project were recently published in Frontiers in Pharmacology.
A Safer Way to Study Drug Effects in Pregnancy
The research focused on whether certain drugs can cross the blood-placental barrier, a critical concern for pregnant women who are often excluded from clinical trials due to ethical constraints. The team studied corticosteroids like prednisone, a drug used to treat inflammation, for which data on pregnancy-related pharmacokinetics is limited.
Traditional preclinical models, including animal testing, do not fully reflect how drugs behave in a pregnant woman’s body. This new three-organ system offers a way to predict drug exposure for both the mother and the unborn child more accurately.
Three-Organ Model: A More Precise Drug Testing Tool
The system is built on organ-on-chip (OoC) technology, which mimics human biological functions on a small biochip. It represents the three key tissues involved in drug processing:
- Liver – Metabolizes the drug
- Intestine – Absorbs the drug
- Placenta – Transfers the drug to the fetus
An integrated pump circulates cell culture fluid between these organs, allowing researchers to simulate real drug interactions in the body. Using prednisone as a test case, scientists could track its absorption, metabolism, and transfer through the placenta.
Digital Twin Technology Enhances Predictions
To improve accuracy, the study also incorporated digital twin technology—computer models that simulate biological processes. ESQlabs used experimental data from the three-organ system to build mathematical models that predict drug distribution and metabolism in pregnant women.
This approach provides valuable insights into dose-response relationships and helps assess potential risks before drugs reach human trials.
A Step Toward Reducing Animal Testing
Animal testing remains a standard step in preclinical drug development, but translating results from animals to humans can be challenging. This new platform offers a promising alternative, making it possible to study drug effects in a human-relevant model without the need for animal trials.
By simulating complex pharmacological processes, the three-organ system could revolutionize drug research, particularly in vulnerable populations like pregnant women.
Experts Weigh In
Dr. Martin Raasch, CEO of Dynamic42, emphasized the impact of this innovation:
“We have created an exciting new way to combine multi-organ systems with in-silico predictions. This platform can take drug safety and efficacy assessments to a whole new level.”
Dr. Christian Maass, BU Lead at ESQlabs, highlighted the benefits of integrating digital models:
“By combining in-silico simulations with multi-organ MPS platforms, we improve the accuracy of preclinical testing. This project demonstrates how we can reduce animal testing while gaining a deeper understanding of drug behavior.”
With its ability to enhance drug safety assessments and reduce reliance on animal testing, this three-organ system could become a game-changer in pharmacokinetics research.
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