Indian Scientists Develop Indigenous Placenta-on-Chip Platform

Key facts

• Researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute for Research on Women's Health (ICMR-NIRWoH), Mumbai, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, have developed an indigenous lab-grown placenta-on-chip platform.
• The study, published in the journal Biofabrication, describes a microphysiological system that mimics the interface between the mother and fetus.
• The platform reproduces essential placental functions including hormone production, nutrient transfer, waste exchange, and selective barrier function.
• The device transports glucose from the maternal to fetal side, removes waste products such as urea, and responds to hyperglycaemic conditions resembling gestational diabetes.
• The technology is designed to evaluate how medicines cross the placental barrier and provide insights into disorders such as gestational diabetes, fetal growth restriction, and pre-eclampsia.