New ‘liver-on-a-chip’ device could make drug safety testing more reliable
Drug development is notoriously long and expensive and one of the biggest reasons promising medications fail is unexpected liver toxicity.
Now, researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, working with academic and industry collaborators, report that a “liver-on-a-chip” device may offer a more reliable way to predict drug-induced liver injury (DILI) before medications ever reach patients.
The study, published in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, evaluated the PhysioMimix LC12 — a microphysiological system manufactured by CN Bio — against traditional in vitro cell culture models.
Why Liver Toxicity Is So Hard to Predict
The liver is the body’s primary drug-processing organ, making it especially vulnerable to toxicity. Drug-induced liver injury remains one of the most common reasons medications fail in late-stage development or are pulled from the market.
Traditional testing relies first on cells in a dish, then animal models. But anatomical and physiological differences — especially between human and animal livers — can make predicting species-specific toxicity difficult.
That’s where organ-on-a-chip technology comes in.
What Makes the PhysioMimix LC12 Different?
The PhysioMimix LC12 platform contains 12 independent culture wells designed to replicate key liver functions, including:
Cell-to-cell interactions
Continuous nutrient flow
Long-term metabolic activity
In the study, Dr. Chander Negi, working in the lab of Dr. Ivan Rusyn, tested primary liver cells from humans, monkeys, rats and dogs using three drugs known to produce species-specific toxicities.
According to Negi, the device more accurately reproduced known cross-species differences compared to conventional 96-well plate models.
Importantly, the LC12 maintained viable, metabolically active liver cells for up to 14 days — a significant advantage when evaluating delayed or cumulative toxicity. The system’s larger media volume also allows repeated sampling over time, making it possible to track exposure-toxicity relationships longitudinally.
Not Perfect — But Promising
The researchers are clear: the technology isn’t ready to replace all current testing methods.
Limitations include:
Higher cost compared to traditional cell culture
Lower throughput than large-scale screening platforms
Inability to perform real-time imaging
Incomplete replication of full tissue complexity (including immune components)
Rusyn notes that incorporating immune interactions and cells from diverse human donors represents the next frontier for organ-on-a-chip engineering.
Automation and regulatory validation will also be necessary before widespread adoption in drug approval pipelines.
Why This Matters to Veterinary Medicine
For veterinary researchers and clinicians, this technology has two major implications:
Comparative oncology and toxicology gains — Dogs were included in the cross-species evaluation, reinforcing the role of veterinary science in translational research.
Safer therapeutics for animals and humans — Improved predictive models may reduce late-stage failures and help identify toxicity risks earlier in development.
The research team plans to expand testing to additional drugs, particularly those associated with complex or delayed liver injury, and integrate molecular profiling tools to better connect gene expression changes with functional outcomes.
Read full article here: https://stories.tamu.edu/news/2026/02/23/new-liver-on-a-chip-device-could-make-drug-safety-testing-more-reliable/
