Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects

Current preclinical models in a large part fail to accurately portray human physiology . On onehand, traditional tissue culture in which cells are grown in monolayer do not recapitulate thecomplex heterogeneity of 3D organs. On the other hand, animal models such as rodents lackmany specific biological features that are unique to humans. Because the models we areusing to study human disease and predict drug responses are inaccurate, it is inevitable thatthe predictions made will be similarly inaccurate. This observation is reflected in the currentdrug discovery pipeline, as many drugs that are tested using monolayer culture and animalmodels fail in clinical trials due to unforeseen complexities in human patients. To address thisissue, we are seeking to develop a next generation preclinical model of human disease thataccurately recapitulates human physiology. To do this, we link up artificial organ tissuesderived from human stem cells to living blood vessels. We then deliver through the bloodvessels nutrients and drug compounds in the same manner that they are delivered in thehuman body. The artificial organs in our system directly mimic physiological organs in termsof morphology, function, and environment thus serving as a powerful tool for drug testing. Toestablish our platform, we have gathered a diverse team of academic researchers includingexperts in health research and engineering and several private sector partners. Together, wewill harness our platform to develop sophisticated models of the brain and gut as well asadvanced imaging frameworks to monitor drug responses in real time. Considering our teamand expertise, we are thus uniquely poised to drastically improve preclinical drug testingefficiency not only in Canada but also for global drug discovery pipelines which as thepotential to scientifically improve human health.