A new device that mimics a human vein could replace the need for animals in medical studies that look into cardiac diseases.
The vein-on-a-chip model has been developed by scientists at the University of Birmingham. It looks like a tiny channel, and incorporates valves that ensure the correct direction of blood flow.
The device is more advanced than previous models because the valves can open and close, mimicking the mechanism seen in a real vein. It also contains a single layer of cells, called endothelial cells, covering the inside of the vessel.
These two advances allow the device to be biologically reflective of a real vein, and it also replicates blood flow in a life-like manner.
“Organ-on-a-chip devices, such as ours, are not only created to help researchers move away from the need for animal models, but they also advance our understanding of biology as they are more closely representative of how the human body works,” said Dr Alexander Brill...