Technical Services

Liver-on-a-Chip Drug Toxicity Evaluation

I. Service Overview

Organ-on-a-chip technology was recognized as one of the "Top 10 Emerging Technologies" by the World Economic Forum in 2016 and remains a core strategic technology in China’s biomedical sector. The liver-on-a-chip system consists of two microfluidic channels (etched into PDMS hydrogel) separated by a micron-scale semipermeable membrane. The upper and lower channels are seeded with hepatocytes and liver non-parenchymal cells (NPCs), respectively, mimicking the liver sinusoid structure and microenvironment. This platform addresses critical gaps in traditional drug development by enabling early detection of drug toxicity, shifting risk assessment to earlier stages, and reducing R&D costs.

By leveraging our domestically developed alternatives to primary hepatocytes and NPCs, we offer liver-on-a-chip services at 1/7th the cost (USD-to-RMB conversion), accelerating innovation in China’s biopharmaceutical industry.

II. Service Credentials, Facilities, and Team

• GMP-Compliant BSL-2 Lab:

• Registered with the National Health Commission (卫健委) for handling HBV, lentiviruses, and human/animal samples.

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• Advanced Equipment (Total value: RMB 20+ million):

• Confocal microscope, fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS), ultracentrifuges, real-time qPCR systems.

• Expert Team:

• Ph.D. in Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

• 14+ years of expertise in primary hepatocyte research.

• Principal investigator for 7 national/provincial grants (NSFC, Guangdong DST, Shenzhen STIC).

• 10+ first/corresponding-author SCI publications.

• AIMBE Fellow, National Young Thousand Talents Program awardees, and Shenzhen High-Level Talent Awardees.

• Dr. Ming Zhou:

• Guangdong Provincial Science & Technology Project:

• Leading the development, evaluation, and industrialization of liver-on-a-chip models for the study: "Mechanistic Research and Therapeutic Development of Ligusticum Cyclic Lactam in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)."

III. Service Case Studies

Our liver-on-a-chip platform has been adopted by leading institutions, including:

• The Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Guangdong Pharmaceutical University

• Shenyang Pharmaceutical University

• Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Materia Medica

• Accelerate Bio (YaoSu Tech)

Impact:

• Enabled partners to reduce preclinical costs by 30–50% through early toxicity identification.

• Supported the optimization of 5+ drug candidates by elucidating multi-organ toxicity mechanisms.