In nearly two years the EU-funded ORCHID project built a roadmap for Organ-on-Chip (OoC) technology and established a European network in this promising field.

“ORCHID clearly identified strengths of the field in Europe, but also the needs, challenges and barriers of the technology towards a European roadmap,” states project coordinator Christine Mummery, Professor of Developmental Biology at Leiden University Medical Center.

Assessment of the status of OoC technology in Europe identified an excellent communication network between developers, companies that market OoC products, end-users and regulators. In particular, the Netherlands with its strong stem cell community has integrated stem cell derivatives into OoC modalities faster than other countries.

ORCHID also identified hurdles to the full implementation of OoC technology such as uncertainty among end-users on which format is best for their applications, lack of evidence on which OoC models could replace regulatory requirements as well as variability in robustness and reproducibility. To address the latter, ORCHID suggested introduction of independent testing centres to assess the technical performance and biological compatibility of new chip designs.

ORCHID established the European Organ-on-Chip Society EUROoCS to anchor the OoC network, provide a platform for dialogue and encourage research towards new healthcare solutions.

Read the whole article: ORCHID – Result in Brief on the CORDIS website, the Community Research and Development Information Service of the European Commission.