World first as UK researchers infect artificial liver with Hepatitis B virus

The group claims that the pioneering tests pave the way for an improved understanding and of a range of diseases enabling the development of new treatments.

Organ-on-chip technologies house live human cells on scaffolds that are physiologically, mechanically, and structurally similar to the emulated organ. Drugs or viruses are passed through the cells via tubes that simulate blood flow through the body. The living cells used in tests last much longer on the chip than in traditional laboratory methods, and require lower infection doses compared to traditionally used model systems.

The approach holds huge promise as an alternative to animal drug testing, but until now, it hasn’t been used to test how infectious diseases interact with the organs.

The Imperial team used an artificial liver - originally developed at MIT, Oxford University, and biotechnology company CN Bio Innovations - and tested its response to hepatitis B, an incurable virus which affects over 257 million people worldwide.