Rather than trying to build an organ from the cells up, some technologists are now turning to microfluidics platforms to help them study actual organs. One example published last year is the artery on a chip~10, engineered by Axel Guenther, a bioengineer at the University of Toronto in Canada, and his colleagues. The device is set to be commercialized later this year by Quorum Technologies in Guelph, Canada. It provides a way to study 'resistance arteries', tiny vessels that keep blood from rushing into and damaging capillaries, and so help to regulate blood pressure.
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