Cambridge, UK, 1 December 2021: CN Bio, a leading Organ-on-a-chip Company (OOC) that designs and manufactures single- and multi-organ microphysiological systems (MPS), has been recognised by The Scientist for developing a Top 10 Innovation of 2021. This year’s list includes CN Bio’s PhysioMimix™ Multi-Organ MPS; a next-generation OOC platform that provides advanced insights into the potential effects of novel therapeutics that were previously only achievable using animal models.

Annually, the industry-leading publication, The Scientist, publishes a list of innovations and solutions that its panel of expert judges predict will have the largest impact in advancing scientific understanding and addressing key life sciences challenges. One such challenge is the inefficiency of drug discovery. With only one in ten candidates in phase I trials gaining market approval, there is an urgent need for human-relevant tools that deliver improved predictions of clinical success.

CN Bio’s PhysioMimix Multi-Organ system extends the Company’s reach from world-leading provider of single OOC solutions and signifies a key milestone in CN Bio’s mission to develop a human ‘body-on-a-chip’. The system uniquely enables researchers to recreate complex human inter-organ communication and systemic effects within a user-friendly and familiar multi-well format. The launch builds on over 10 years of R&D experience, transforming the way in which pre-clinical data can be generated for fast-tracked and more cost-effective drug discovery.

Introduced in March 2021¹, the Multi-Organ system represents the only platform on the market that can perform both single- and multi-organ experiments. Multi-organ experiments interconnect the Company’s in vitro 3D liver model, whose phenotype and functions mimic that in vivo, with a range of other organs (such as gut, lung or kidney) via fluidic flow to more accurately recapitulate human physiology in the laboratory. Interconnected organs can be used to simulate processes such as drug absorption and metabolism, or to understand interactions between organs which drive disease and cause unexpected toxicities. These lab-grown organs mimic function and respond to drugs in the same way as in humans, to support accelerated drug development and reduce dependence on animal model usage.

Dr David Hughes, CEO, CN Bio, said: “It is an honour for our PhysioMimix Multi-Organ system to be recognised by The Scientist in its 2021 list of Top 10 Innovations. Translating findings to in vivo settings remains a challenge due to cross-species differences and insufficient understanding of human pathophysiology. We developed the Multi-Organ system to address these drug development bottlenecks: to decrease the risk of clinical failures due to cross-species differences whilst enabling the development of new human-specific modalities where animal models are less suited. We look forward to 2022 as we continue to expand our technology portfolio and its applications within humanized pre-clinical research.”