In a significant scientific advancement that could improve drug safety for pregnant women and reduce dependence on animal testing, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and the ICMR-National Institute for Research on Women’s Health (NIRWoH) have developed an indigenous placenta-on-chip model that replicates the functions of the human placenta in a laboratory setting.
The placenta is a temporary but vital organ formed during pregnancy that acts as the connection between the mother and the developing foetus. It plays a crucial role in regulating the transfer of nutrients, oxygen, hormones, medicines, and waste products, while also serving as a protective barrier for the unborn child.
Studying placental function during pregnancy has long been challenging due to ethical and practical constraints. The newly developed platform addresses this challenge by enabling researchers to examine how drugs, nutrients, and metabolic waste move between the mother and the foetus.
According to the study, published in the journal Biofabrication, the device consists of a compact two-chamber system containing human placental cells and blood vessel cells cultured on opposite sides of a porous membrane.
The researchers demonstrated that the model effectively reproduces key placental functions, including hormone production, nutrient transfer, waste exchange, and selective barrier activity.
Unlike several existing organ-on-chip technologies that rely on sophisticated infrastructure and equipment, the Indian-developed platform features a simpler design, making it easier to manufacture and operate in research settings.
“Many organ-on-chip technologies offer powerful capabilities but often require highly specialised infrastructure. Our goal was to create a reliable platform that could be more widely adopted by research laboratories,” said Prof Abhijit Majumder of IIT Bombay, co-corresponding author of the study.
The biological validation of the system was carried out by researchers led by Prof Deepak Modi at ICMR-NIRWoH. He noted that human-relevant models are becoming increasingly important for understanding diseases and assessing the safety of therapeutic interventions.
“By integrating engineering with reproductive biology, we have developed a platform that can help bridge existing research gaps and support advancements in maternal and foetal health research,” he said.