Placenta-on-a-Chip
September 29, 2015 | Terry Sharrer
In order to learn more about the biochemistry of the human placenta, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development brought together an international research group to devise a placenta-on-a-chip device which mimics the mother-fetus interface. The chip has two chambers—one with maternal placenta cells, and the other with fetal umbilical cord cells—with a semipermeable membrane between them. Thus far, the device has shown how glucose transits, with future goals of discovering the mechanisms for blocking pathogens and toxins. MORE
Image Credit: NIH.gov