Development of an in vitro Micro-organ Model for Pharmacokinetic Microanalysis

An in vitro model that can realistically and inexpensively predict human response to various drug administration and toxic chemical exposure is needed. By fabricating a microscale 3D tissue analog consisting of an array of channels and tissue-embedded chambers, we can selectively biomimic different mammalian tissues for a multitude of applications, foremost among them experimental pharmaceutical screening for efficacy and toxicity. Our model may be envisioned as an important adjunct for assessing the beneficial and detrimental effects of novel drugs upon navigating a given metabolic pathway. Most exemplary, assessing the therapeutic or toxic effects of a drug on any cell type in vitro may be investigated in the presence of microencapsulated liver cells to take into account the liver-dependent metabolic modification of the candidate drug. Future functional studies will also be conducted for drug therapeutic benefit or toxicity evaluation at a downstream tissue chamber housing a target soft parenchymal tissue to form a multi-compartment tissue chamber.