Scottish scientists could eliminate animal testing with ‘first in the world’ device

Dr Adriana Tavares and Liam Carr holding the body-on chip, in front of a PET image of the device (Image: UofE) A GROUNDBREAKING device that could eliminate animal testing for new medicines has been designed by scientists at a Scottish university. It is thought the 3D-printed “body-on-chip” could eliminate the need for animal testing and speed up the approval process for medicines.

The device invented in Edinburgh is the first of its kind in the world.

Currently, around 80,000 animals are used in the early stages of drug development in Europe[1] each year, without subsequent clinical benefit.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have designed the device which “perfectly mimics how a medicine flows through a patient’s body”.