Submitted by: James J. Feng
A computer chip, that is. Recent breakthroughs in growing artificial organs in the lab have led to a “lung-on-a-chip” and other “organs-on-a-chip”. These are grown from cultured cells in microscopic channels fabricated from silicon wafers. The fabrication resembles that of microelectronics, and hence the reference to “chip.” We are striving to translate such lab operations into computer simulations – a shift from silicon wafers in the lab to memory chips in a computer. This will allow us to screen huge numbers of designs rapidly and cheaply, and help bring artificial organs from lab experiments to clinical applications.