By generating bioengineered organoids of the liver, heart, and lungs and connecting them in a closed system with a nutrient-rich liquid to mimic the body鈥檚 circulatory system, researchers have created a 鈥渂ody-on-a-chip鈥� that may help reveal interorgan responses to drug or toxic chemical exposure. The potential to do so has implications for drug development, considering that many drugs have progressed through years of preclinical studies, clinical trials, and market availability before being recalled.

As detailed in their Scientific Reports, each organ model was created with the cell types present in native human tissue. Bioprinting technologies were used to integrate liver and cardiac organoids into modular perfusable devices connected to a lung organoid at the air-liquid interface. Liver and heart toxicity account for the majority of drug candidate failures and recalls, and the lung serves as a unique point of entry for aerosolized toxic particles.