The United Arab Emirates has officially positioned itself at the forefront of medical innovation by revealing ‘Organ-on-chip’ technology at the World Health Expo 2026 in Dubai. This project is led by the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE). It utilizes micro-engineered chips to mimic human organ functions, thereby offering a high-tech alternative to traditional animal testing.
This method also helps prevent animal cruelty and enhance pharmaceutical security. Through this technology, the UAE aims to make medicine safer and more affordable for everyone.
Organ-on-Chip (OoC) technology is a massive step forward for doctors, as these devices are the size of a thumb drive. They contain real human cells, which live in tiny tubes that act like a heart, lung, or liver. Dr. Shaikha Al Mazrouei, a leader at the EDE, informed, "The Organ-on-Chip technology provides highly accurate human-based models for drug testing, helping to improve the quality of scientific outcomes and accelerate research and therapeutic development, while reducing reliance on animal models," as reported by Gulf News.
This work is part of a plan called ‘Project Falcon.’ The UAE uses these chips along with smart robots and artificial intelligence. The robots watch how the cells react to medicine every second, helping scientists see how a body absorbs a drug. It is much more accurate than testing in a simple lab dish. It also works better than animal tests, as animal bodies are different from human bodies.
Currently, many new drug trials fail when they are tested on people. Almost 90% of new medicines do not work or are not safe in human trials. This happens even if they work well on animals. However, by using Organ-on-Chip, this issue can be addressed in the early stages, saving time and effort. This technology can show if a drug is dangerous before it ever touches a person.
This change will have a huge impact on the field of medicine. Experts believe the UAE will soon establish renewed global standards for drug discovery. The EDE stated at the Expo, "The convergence of real-world data and AI-driven lab robotics is enabling a new generation of drug discovery." This means patients can receive treatments for cancer or other diseases much sooner. In the future, doctors might even personalize the chip’s utility with your own cells to see which medicine works best for you.