An international team led by Sarela Santamarina, from ITQB NOVA, in collaboration with Cláudia Santos, from NOVA Medical School, has just received 1.5 million euros in funding from the Horizon Europe program to establish a European Hub meant to translate basic research on chronic diseases, infectious diseases and beneficial relationships between hosts and microbes into clinical applications.
In this applied research project, the research teams will develop models of miniature organs and stem cell and integrate them into organ-on-a-chip platforms. Organs-on-chip are small devices that simulate the environment and behavior of specific organs, such as the heart, liver or lungs. By combining several of such devices, scientists can also create a multi-organ-on-a-chip system to study the interactions and the communication between different organs, as well as the functional changes that occur with illness.
