Medicine Grand Rounds, Nancy Allbritton “Organs-on-Chips”

Organ-on-chips are miniaturized devices that arrange living cells to simulate functional subunits of tissues and organs. These microdevices provide exquisite control of tissue microenviroment for the investigation of organ-level physiology and disease. Human organ-on-chips are expected to transform biomedical research providing platforms that accurately replicate human tissues, enable a better understanding of human-to-human physiologic variations and even permit patient-specific organ mimics. These human organ facsimiles will fundamentally alter drug discovery and development by providing human constructs for screening assays, toxicity measurements and investigation of molecular-level drug actions.

Nancy L. Allbritton is the Kenan Professor and Chair of the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC and NC State, and Kenan Professor in the UNC Department of Chemistry. Her research focuses on the development of novel technologies for applications in single-cell analysis, micro-arrays and fluidics, and organ-on-chip. It has resulted in over 180 full-length journal publications and patents and led to 15 commercial products. Her research program has been well funded by the National Institutes of Health with nearly $60 million in grants since 1994.