AI-generated conceptual image of a microfluidic system experiment (Image provided by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, KAIST)
DAEJEON, Jan. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Researchers at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a modular “organ-on-a-chip” system that can precisely replicate how drug-induced muscle damage leads to kidney injury, offering a new platform for predicting harmful side effects before medicines reach patients.
The bio-microfluidic device recreates key aspects of the human body by linking three-dimensionally engineered muscle tissue with kidney proximal tubule cells on a tiny chip.
Using a plug-and-socket design, the system allows the two tissues to be cultured separately under optimal conditions and connected only when researchers want to observe how damage in one organ affects the other.
By reconnecting the tissues at specific stages and then separating them again after experiments, scientists can independently analyze changes in muscle and kidney cells and quantitatively measure how toxic substances released from injured muscle impair kidney function.
The approach mirrors complex organ-to-organ interactions that are difficult to study using conventional cell cultures or animal models.
The project involved teams from KAIST’s mechanical engineering department, as well as clinicians from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. Lead researcher Professor Jeon Sung-yoon said the technology marks the first time such cascading organ damage has been accurately reproduced in a laboratory setting using a modular system.
Researchers believe the platform could eventually be used to forecast adverse drug reactions and support personalized assessments of medication safety. The findings were published in November in the international journal Advanced Functional Materials.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
