{"id":1741,"date":"2018-01-24T10:06:09","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T15:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ufluidix.com\/circlesecond\/?p=1741"},"modified":"2019-10-09T14:54:56","modified_gmt":"2019-10-09T18:54:56","slug":"organs-on-chips-and-animal-lovers-dovetailing-on-the-medical-frontier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ufluidix.com\/circle\/organs-on-chips-and-animal-lovers-dovetailing-on-the-medical-frontier\/","title":{"rendered":"Organs-on-Chips and Animal Lovers: Dovetailing on the Medical Frontier"},"content":{"rendered":"

The impact of organoid research on popular culture is nowhere more evident than in the common ground between innovation and animal rights proponents. Organs-on-chips harbor the potential to reduce animal testing of new drugs and cosmetics. In 2017, the U.S. National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences funded 13 institutions with awards to develop tissue-on-chip<\/a> models. Several of the awards mirror four-legged friends\u2019 enduring<\/a>\u00a0goals.<\/p>\n

Muscle disease is one example. One of the NCATS awards is for \u201cSystemic Inflammation in Microphysiological Models of Muscle and Vascular Disease<\/a>.\u201d This Duke University project focuses on skeletal muscle and blood vessels. The models will replicate inflammation, in order to assess variation in responses to drugs. A similar award went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for \u201cDevelopment of a Microphysiological Organ-on-Chip System to Model Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson\u2019s Disease<\/a>,\u201d to highlight novel biomarkers. There is no cure for ALS, a neurological condition that stops voluntary muscle movements including chewing, walking, talking and ultimately, breathing. Animal rights proponents welcome these endeavors because they have been vexed for years by the use of dogs for research that leaves them crippled with muscular dystrophy and unable to walk, swallow, or breathe.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor decades, generations of dogs have suffered and died in gruesome experiments that haven\u2019t led to a cure for muscular dystrophy in humans,\u201d proponents<\/a>\u00a0claim. They have also campaigned against the use of birds in related neurotransmitter research, as being \u201ccruel and pointless<\/a>\u201d while not yielding usable information.<\/p>\n

Harvard University researchers received another of the NCATS awards, to develop \u201cLung-on-a-Chip Disease Models for Efficacy Testing<\/a>.\u201d Microfluidic organ-on-chip devices replicating influenza virus infection will be used to define new antivirals. This influenza disease model will be linked to human liver chips, to conduct pre-clinical safety testing of existing antiviral drugs, and to identify new therapeutics that target the host response to infection, rather than the virus itself. This too is a welcome mission for animal rights workers, because lung organoids help \u201cscientists get a much better idea of how human lungs respond to airborne substances than they can by forcing animals to inhale chemicals and then trying to apply the results to a completely different species<\/a>.\u201d Moreover, it could mean an end to animals\u201c being forced to inhale toxic chemicals for hours at a time before being killed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"dog,<\/a>

Source: pixabay.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

University of Washington teams received an award to investigate \u201cA Microphysiological System for Kidney Disease Modeling and Drug Efficacy Testing<\/a>.\u201d Chronic kidney disease affects more than 20 million U.S. adults and is the ninth leading cause of death in the U.S. UW scientists will create in vitro<\/em>\u00a0models that mimic critical aspects of kidney function, response to injury, and repair. They will architect \u201cvirtual clinical trials\u201d for candidate drugs.<\/p>\n

A related project award is \u201cKidney Microphysiological Analysis Platforms to Optimize Function and Model Disease<\/a>\u201d at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital. Microfluidics<\/a>, stem cell biology, microfabrication and bioprinting will be used to model kidney diseases, and to screen for kidney toxicity. Kidney disease research historically<\/a> relies upon multiple types of animal studies.<\/p>\n

Two of the NCATS awards target heart functions. They include \u201cA 3-DIn Vitro\u00a0Disease Model of Atrial Conduction<\/a>,\u201d a University of California Davis project utilizing patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. \u201cDrug Development for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and Other Pediatric Epileptogenic Diseases Using Neurovascular and Cardiac Microphysiological Models<\/a>\u201d at Vanderbilt University will formulate neural and cardiac tissue-chip models that replicate drug response more reliably than those currently in use. In a 2017whistleblower case, a Veterans Affairs employee reported mistreatment of dogs<\/a> being used for cardiac research.<\/p>\n

The experiments he alleged included induced heart attacks. Many of the dogs died at project conclusion, and sometimes their hearts were harvested for further research.<\/p>\n

The actions of the whistleblower, himself an Iraq veteran, drew several responses from the VA, some of which read in part: \u201cAt VA, we have a duty to do everything in our power to develop new treatments to help restore some of what veterans have lost on the battlefield. One of the most effective ways for VA to discover new treatments for diseases that affect veterans and non-Veterans alike is the continuation of responsible animal research . . . While there are ethical concerns associated with conducting animal research, they are far outweighed by ethical concerns associated with not doing animal research. The broad consensus of medical and scientific experts in the United States and around the world is that animal research is necessary. That\u2019s why VA will continue conducting animal research like someone\u2019s life depends on it \u2014 because it does.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no debating that most life-saving medical treatments were developed around animal research, including insulin, liver transplants, numerous cancer drugs, nicotine patches and pacemakers. Can scientists shift away from the baked-in pull of history? Animal activists have been buoyed by celebrity support, including comedienne Lily Tomlin\u2019s efforts to defang their image<\/a> as humorless fringe players.<\/p>\n

Will organs-on-chips stop animal testing of drugs? Perhaps some of it, but not all. \u201cIt\u2019s an illusion to think they can be used to completely replace animal research,\u201d biologist Jurgen\u00a0Knoblich told\u00a0The Scientist<\/em><\/a> in 2016.<\/p>\n

Alternatively, \u201cThe key to staying hopeful is to operate on an assumption of success rather than failure,\u201d Friends of Animals<\/a> President Priscila Feral writes, summing up the perspective of many other activists.<\/p>\n

While the pace of advance accelerates, it\u2019s unknown which of these two predictions will prove realistic. But one thing is certain: NCATS\u2019support for organs-on-chips energizes animal lovers\u2019 central hope \u2014 that this horse is out of the barn.<\/p>\n

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