US to develop chip that tests if a drug is toxic

WASHINGTON: US government researchers plan to design a chip that can check whether new drugs are toxic before they are tested in people, potentially speeding up the development of new therapies. The...

AFP

September 17, 2011

US to develop chip that tests if a drug is toxic

WASHINGTON: US government researchers plan to design a chip that can check whether new drugs are toxic before they are tested in people, potentially speeding up the development of new therapies.

The chip would lump together human cells from the liver, heart, muscles and other organs, then diffuse a drug through them. Multiple readouts would then show how different proteins, genes and other compounds in the cells react to the medicine. (Reuters)