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Researchers design a microfluidics device to predict cancer therapy response

One of the great challenges in the fight against cancer is to design new technologies for a personalized treatment for each patient. Depending on the molecular characteristics —DNA mutations for instance— of each tumour, precision medicine aims to make it easier for cancer patients, both adult and paediatric, to receive a personalized treatment that is appropriate to their pathology. But is it possible to know whether or not a patient can benefit from a treatment before starting therapy?

A blood-brain barrier on a chip to study drugs against Alzheimer’s

A study led by the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) describes the development of an organ-on-a-chip that mimics the human blood-brain barrier. With this system, researchers can study the barrier permeability to different drugs and screen the most effective ones, avoiding animal tests. The device could also incorporate cells from patients to make a personalized study of the disease.