{"id":227,"date":"2018-04-11T09:22:35","date_gmt":"2018-04-11T09:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=227"},"modified":"2018-05-29T23:46:01","modified_gmt":"2018-05-29T23:46:01","slug":"lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/","title":{"rendered":"Lab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Natalie Grover<\/p>\n

Testing the safety of medicines and chemicals on organ-like structures developed from various types of stem cells could reduce the reliance on animal testing and streamline chemical and drug development, according to scientists in the Netherlands who are in the early stages of developing such technology.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n

Tissues such as the intestine and liver typically take up and degrade pharmaceutically active compounds, or inactivate them. But before the efficacy of drugs can be tested in humans, scientists must assess whether they are safe for human consumption, which is largely determined by toxicity studies in lab animals such as mice and monkeys.<\/p>\n

Ethical issues aside, this is a somewhat flawed system as many drugs-in-development have proved safe in animals only to fail in human trials.<\/p>\n

Researchers associated with the TOXANOID project are evaluating whether a 3D-culture system that allows for the expansion of stem cells from the intestine and liver into so-called organoids \u2013 structures grown in a lab that largely mimic the functions of their respective tissues \u2013 can be used to reduce the dependence on animal-based toxicity studies.<\/p>\n

\u2018Any in-vitro assay (laboratory test) is always a reductionist assay \u2026 we’re looking at the intestines and the liver but the interconnections and interplay between organs is something that is very difficult to test in an in-vitro set up,\u2019 said Dr Helmuth Gehart of the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands, who manages the activities of the TOXANOID project.<\/p>\n

\u2018Nevertheless, we strongly believe that by using these kind of assays in human cells, the need for testing in animals could be greatly reduced.\u2019<\/p>\n

The TOXANOID project, which will be completed later this year, is an offshoot of a parallel project called\u00a0ORGANOID<\/a>, which developed this culture system. Currently, the researchers are testing whether their approach supersedes those currently used for in-vitro drug and chemical testing, namely cell lines and primary cells.<\/p>\n

Proliferate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cell lines, which are laboratory-grown cultures of cells that are derived from one original cell, are advantageous because they can proliferate indefinitely in the right environment. However, they are derived from cancerous tissue and eventually do not resemble healthy tissue, leaving open questions of how well results will transfer.<\/p>\n

Primary cells, on the other hand, are\u00a0cells\u00a0taken directly from living tissue, but conversely are harder to acquire because they must come from healthy donors, which can be ethically questionable and expensive. Moreover, since these cells are short-lived, researchers also inevitably end up having to return to donors for more, leaving their sample subject to batch-to-batch variability.<\/p>\n

\u2018In principle we combine the best of both worlds in our organoid approach,\u2019 said Dr Gehart, adding that if successful, their approach could reach industry partners in as quickly as two years.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

‘We strongly believe that by using these kind of assays in human cells, the need for testing in animals could be greatly reduced.’<\/p>\n

Dr Helmuth Gehart, Hubrecht Institute, Netherlands<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Another approach to bypass the use of animal testing – which has been banned in the EU cosmetic industry since 2013 – is the use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for toxicity testing. This technology, pioneered in a Japanese lab in 2006, allows for mature human cells to be reprogrammed such that they can self-renew indefinitely and give rise to every other cell type in the body, a competence previously limited to embryonic cells.<\/p>\n

The in3 project aims to differentiate hiPSCs from the same genetic background into tissues including the brain, lung, liver and kidney, and expose them to several chemical compounds. The data generated will be used to develop safety assessment approaches by integrating biological and computational methods.<\/p>\n

\u2018Once the induced pluripotent cells have been generated we can expand the cell numbers, thus creating a virtually unlimited source of the donor\u2019s cells with their unique genetic code,\u2019 said Professor Paul Jennings, coordinator of in3. \u2018These cells can then be differentiated into different cell and tissue types.\u2019<\/p>\n

Prediction<\/strong><\/p>\n

The proof-of-concept study, which will be completed by 2020, is focused on developing testable prediction models, by incorporating information about how the test chemical likely gets around the body and is absorbed and eliminated, which tissues are more involved in its toxicity and which biological pathways are disturbed or activated upon exposure.<\/p>\n

Then, computational techniques can be used to \u2018link all the data from the different tissues into a virtual human subject,\u2019 said Prof. Jennings, who also leads the molecular and computational toxicology division at the chemical and pharmaceutical department of VU Amsterdam in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

Prof. Jennings cautioned the project was fairly early in the scientific process.<\/p>\n

Adoption of non-animal methods in any industry will depend on whether there\u2019s an uptake by regulators, he says.<\/p>\n

\u2018I think the science is catching up quickly, but we still need to do a better job in interacting with our regulatory colleagues.\u2019<\/p>\n

Originally published on Horizon<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Natalie Grover Testing the safety of medicines and chemicals on organ-like structures developed from various types of stem cells could reduce the reliance on animal testing and streamline chemical and drug development, according to scientists in the Netherlands who are in the early stages of developing such technology.\u00a0 Tissues such as the intestine and … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[95,79,24,31],"class_list":["post-227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-medicine","tag-research","tag-science","tag-stem-cell"],"yoast_head":"\nLab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by Natalie Grover Testing the safety of medicines and chemicals on organ-like structures developed from various types of stem cells could reduce the reliance on animal testing and streamline chemical and drug development, according to scientists in the Netherlands who are in the early stages of developing such technology.\u00a0 Tissues such as the intestine and ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Horizon Magazine Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-11T09:22:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-05-29T23:46:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"5000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2637\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\"},\"headline\":\"Lab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-11T09:22:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-05-29T23:46:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":811,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/Organoid.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"medicine\",\"research\",\"science\",\"stem cell\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2018\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/\",\"name\":\"Lab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals - Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/Organoid.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-11T09:22:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-05-29T23:46:01+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/Organoid.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/Organoid.jpg\",\"width\":5000,\"height\":2637,\"caption\":\"This human liver organoid gives researchers hope that animal-based studies about drug safety will be a method of the past one day. Image credit - Dr Helmuth Gehart\\\/ TOXANOID\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/227\\\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Lab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"description\":\"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"width\":601,\"height\":283,\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/horizon.magazine.eu\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/HorizonMagEU\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/author\\\/horizonmagazine\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals - Horizon Magazine Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Lab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals","og_description":"by Natalie Grover Testing the safety of medicines and chemicals on organ-like structures developed from various types of stem cells could reduce the reliance on animal testing and streamline chemical and drug development, according to scientists in the Netherlands who are in the early stages of developing such technology.\u00a0 Tissues such as the intestine and ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/","og_site_name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","article_published_time":"2018-04-11T09:22:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-05-29T23:46:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":5000,"height":2637,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Horizon Magazine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Horizon Magazine","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/"},"author":{"name":"Horizon Magazine","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679"},"headline":"Lab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals","datePublished":"2018-04-11T09:22:35+00:00","dateModified":"2018-05-29T23:46:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/"},"wordCount":811,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg","keywords":["medicine","research","science","stem cell"],"articleSection":["Health"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2018","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/","name":"Lab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals - Horizon Magazine Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-11T09:22:35+00:00","dateModified":"2018-05-29T23:46:01+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg","width":5000,"height":2637,"caption":"This human liver organoid gives researchers hope that animal-based studies about drug safety will be a method of the past one day. Image credit - Dr Helmuth Gehart\/ TOXANOID"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","description":"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","width":601,"height":283,"caption":"Horizon Magazine Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679","name":"Horizon Magazine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Horizon Magazine"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU"],"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/author\/horizonmagazine\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtNKV-3F","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":347,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/","url_meta":{"origin":227,"position":0},"title":"3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"July 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ethan Bilby Bioinks containing stem cells are being used to 3D print living tissues that can be inserted into the body and provoke a damaged joint to heal itself. It\u2019s a development that could reduce the discomfort and pain of the one in 10 people who will suffer from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Arthritis breaks down the cartilage between joints, leading to pain, stiffness and swelling.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1244,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1244\/repurposing-drugs-and-networks-can-help-find-outbreak-treatments-against-the-clock\/","url_meta":{"origin":227,"position":1},"title":"Repurposing drugs and networks can help find outbreak treatments against the clock","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"April 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by\u00a0Ian Le Guillou A vaccine is likely to take at least a year. A new drug could be a decade away. Even with the world\u2019s resources focused, treatments against a new disease are difficult to create from scratch. However, repurposing existing drugs for other conditions could provide a much-needed shortcut.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/04\/Corona-SM.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/04\/Corona-SM.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/04\/Corona-SM.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/04\/Corona-SM.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":387,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/387\/mini-brains-offer-hope-in-search-for-new-drugs-for-brain-disorders\/","url_meta":{"origin":227,"position":2},"title":"Mini-brains offer hope in search for new drugs for brain disorders","author":"Anthony King","date":"July 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Miniature brains grown in laboratory dishes could overcome some of the problems testing drugs on animals and help researchers identify new ways to treat very human, and incurable, conditions like Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. Most new drugs are developed and tested using mice as models. However, with brain disorders such\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cerebral organoids allow scientists to test new drugs on human brain tissue in labs.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/image002_crp.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/image002_crp.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/image002_crp.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/image002_crp.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/image002_crp.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1960,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1960\/currently-theres-no-cure-for-rare-types-of-cystic-fibrosis-but-researchers-are-making-significant-advances\/","url_meta":{"origin":227,"position":3},"title":"Currently there\u2019s no cure for rare types of cystic fibrosis, but researchers are making significant advances","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"February 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Current treatments for cystic fibrosis are not suitable for all patients. The lack of treatment options is distressing for people suffering from a rare type of this degenerative and life-threatening disease. But researchers are making major advances.\u00a0 \u00a0 A decade ago, few cystic fibrosis patients lived beyond their teens. Thanks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/02\/22-photo-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/02\/22-photo-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/02\/22-photo-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/02\/22-photo-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":813,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/813\/chemical-mixtures-pose-underestimated-risk-to-human-health-say-scientists\/","url_meta":{"origin":227,"position":4},"title":"Chemical mixtures pose \u2018underestimated\u2019 risk to human health say scientists","author":"Anthony King","date":"May 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Each of us harbours hundreds of man-made chemicals inside our bodies because we are exposed to them in our daily lives. While individual chemicals may not be of immediate concern to public health, scientists now worry that certain mixtures of them may pose previously underestimated risks to health. This year,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"and the health risks of this are not yet fully understood.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/chemicalbottles.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/chemicalbottles.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/chemicalbottles.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/chemicalbottles.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/chemicalbottles.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/chemicalbottles.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1136,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1136\/our-brain-has-a-barrier-that-stops-drugs-how-do-we-get-past-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":227,"position":5},"title":"Our brain has a barrier that stops drugs. How do we get past it?","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"January 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A new drug for Alzheimer's, stroke or brain injury might work well in the lab, but the crucial test is whether it can get to where it needs to be. \u2018That\u2019s really the annoying challenge, because we have (drug) candidates that could do a good job if we could get\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Scientists are working on overcoming the protective blood-brain barrier to better treat conditions such as stroke or brain injuries. Image credit - Hellerhoff, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/01\/Bluthirnschranke_nach_Infarkt_nativ_und_KM.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/01\/Bluthirnschranke_nach_Infarkt_nativ_und_KM.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/01\/Bluthirnschranke_nach_Infarkt_nativ_und_KM.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/01\/Bluthirnschranke_nach_Infarkt_nativ_und_KM.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/01\/Bluthirnschranke_nach_Infarkt_nativ_und_KM.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/01\/Bluthirnschranke_nach_Infarkt_nativ_und_KM.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}