# Fluidic Programmable Gravi-maze Array (FPGA) for Multi-organs Drug Testing

> **NIH NIH R43** · BIOPICO · 2020 · $250,759

## Abstract

Fluidic Programmable Gravi-maze Array (FPGA) for Multi-organs Drug Testing
Abstract
Organ on a chip systems with the interaction of multiple organs, using cells from experimental animal models,
recapitulate in-vivo tissue-like realistic cellular behavior and provide information on quantitative, time-dependent
phenomena when combined with a pharmacokinetic modeling approach. Improving the accuracy of preclinical
drug screening using these organotypic interacting-organs will generate dramatic cost and time savings and can
provide alternatives to animal testing. These, value-added, more complex non-human animal-derived
microphysiological assays can build a bridge between existing in vivo animal toxicity data and human cell-based
in vitro data to set the hope to de-risk human safety. These organotypic culture models can be established for
preclinical drug development that facilitates current efforts to reduce, refine, and ultimately could replace animal
models. However, there are several challenges to advance these in-vitro organ systems to preclinical drug
toxicity studies, in the evaluation of organ function and improved prediction upon exposure to drugs and their
metabolites. Moreover, currently, there is no passive, scalable and perfusable multiplexed multi-organs
organotypic culture platform available to advance toxicological profiling. Therefore, Biopico Systems Inc
proposes to develop a Fluidic Programmable Gravi-maze Array (FPGA) for multiple organs based drug
screening. This allows multiple organs developed on inserts to interact in a specific direction in serial or parallel
with one another using gravity-driven unidirectional recirculation in an array format. Such alternate animal
profiling in the FPGA system enables early identification of off-target toxicities that would help in the redesign of
a drug in predictive toxicology and safety testing. In Phase I, Biopico will develop the fluidic platform in 24-well
format and validate the metabolic interaction between liver and heart that mimic physiological phenomena for
accurate drug safety testing. The specific aims are as follows. Aim 1: optimize the design of FPGA Chip for
recirculations through series-parallel transwell-Insert organs. Aim 2: develop vascularized organs in FPGA
system for drug testing and measurement. Aim 3: characterize FPGA system to study the toxicological effects
of interacting liver-heart organs. This platform allows the design of self-contained integrated vasculature and
other shear stress-sensitive organ systems that are easy and cost-effective to construct and maintain compared
to animals. Biopico envisions that FPGA will be adapted by the pharmacological industries and researchers as
an animal alternative for testing drugs with the unknown metabolic property while gaining broader use to generate
safer compounds.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10080010
- **Project number:** 1R43ES032357-01
- **Recipient organization:** BIOPICO
- **Principal Investigator:** John Collins
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $250,759
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-21 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10080010

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10080010, Fluidic Programmable Gravi-maze Array (FPGA) for Multi-organs Drug Testing (1R43ES032357-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10080010. Licensed CC0.

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