Phase receives USD 1.8 million for 3D-printed organ-on-a-chip from the NIH

The biotech company Phase, Inc. has received a grant of 1.8 million US dollars from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a project to develop a 3D-printed blood-brain barrier model. In addition to Harvard Medical School, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech are also involved in the project.

The novel organ-on-a-chip model is intended to replicate the in vivo environment of the brain more precisely than existing systems. According to Phase, this will significantly improve the treatment of neurological diseases and brain cancer. The aim is to overcome the limitations of current in vitro models of the brain.

Phase is relying on its proprietary 3D printing technology for microfluidic models for the project. This enables the printing of biocompatible materials such as PDMS with a resolution on a biological scale. Valves, sensors and electrodes can be integrated in a single work step.

Organ-on-a-chip models and microfluidics are becoming increasingly important for drug development, toxicity testing and the simulation of in vivo environments in vitro. In view of stricter regulation and efforts to reduce animal testing, such systems are becoming increasingly important.