China launches 'organ chip' standards amid heat of biotechnology race

China now aims to take the global lead in a promising biotechnology field by setting the first national standards for 'organ-on-a-chip technology'.

China's new standard for skin-related research technology was released in late October. The study specifies technical requirements for the form, cell source, component performance and biology of skin chips, and covers the design, manufacturing and testing of the devices.

These chips are an emerging research tool that could replace animal testing and shorten the time it takes to get a drug from idea to market, according to the South China Morning Post .

The chips are designed to simulate the response of human organs to certain drugs.

The chips, which are about the size of a USB drive, are designed to simulate the function of organs in the human body and predict how people will respond to drugs or various external stimuli. The chips resemble integrated circuits.

Gu Zhongze, director of the Institute of Biomedical Devices in Suzhou, China, said the standards would lay the foundation for China to become a leader in international standards for the technology. Gu said the chips could become the “most advanced and powerful” testing tool and standard for in vitro skin-related evaluation.

The skin chip could partially replace existing testing methods, including simple 2D cell cultures, animal testing and even experiments on artificial skin, Gu said, according to the South China Morning Post .

The Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Devices claims the standards will help China surpass its competitors in cosmetics testing, chemical evaluation and drug development. The standards could also help overcome international trade barriers and boost export productivity, the study said.

The Institute of Biomedical Instrumentation in Suzhou also said that Mr. Gu's team has achieved breakthroughs in several areas, including developing China's first organ chip model for scientific experiments at the country's space station.

The device is a line of vascular chips that can withstand microgravity conditions, strong vibrations and pressure changes. These are important findings, laying the foundation for research on methods to protect the health of astronauts when working long hours in space.

According to the Institute of Biomedical Devices in Suzhou, China, this milestone marks an important step forward for China in the field of organ-on-a-chip standardization. It is of great significance in promoting the development of regulations as well as the standardization of scientific research and industrial applications in this field.

“The successful application of human organ-on-a-chip technology enables rapid screening and evaluation of large numbers of drug candidates, providing a breakthrough and transformative biomedical testing solution along with more efficient, accurate and reliable engineering tools for new drug development,” according to the Institute of Biomedical Devices in Suzhou.

According to the Institute of Biomedical Devices in Suzhou, Mr. Gu's research team is also the first in the world to propose a pioneering method for drug screening, integrating organ-on-a-chip technology with artificial intelligence (AI). In September 2023, Mr. Gu's team collaborated with Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei to launch an organ-on-chip pharmaceutical model.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/trung-quoc-tung-tieu-chuan-chip-noi-tang-giua-suc-nong-duong-dua-cong-nghe-bi-hoc-185241106110728463.htm