What if drug testing didn’t need animals — or risky early-stage human trials?

In today’s episode, we explore organ-on-a-chip technology, a breakthrough innovation that is transforming how drugs are developed, tested, and brought to market. These micro-sized devices — containing real living human cells — can accurately replicate the function of organs like the liver, lungs, brain, kidney, and intestine.

Our guest, Daniel Levner, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Emulate, breaks down how this technology works, why the FDA is recognizing it as an alternative to animal testing, and how it’s already being used by leading pharma companies to predict toxicity, reduce failures in clinical trials, and accelerate drug development.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Why 90% of new drugs fail in clinical trials — and how organ chips solve that problem.
How living human cells inside microfluidic channels behave like real organs.
Why organ-on-a-chip is more accurate than traditional cell cultures and animal testing.
How pharma companies like Moderna are already using organ chips to avoid costly primate testing.
How linking multiple organ chips could create “a human-on-a-chip” system.
The impact on rare disease research, CRISPR-based disease modeling, and personalized medicine.
How organ chips could save the pharma industry $3B+ annually and lower drug costs for patients.

About the Podcast

AI for Pharma Growth is a podcast focused on exploring how artificial intelligence can revolutionise healthcare by addressing disparities and creating equitable systems. Join us as we unpack groundbreaking technologies, real-world applications, and expert insights to inspire a healthier, more equitable future.

This show brings together leading experts and changemakers to demystify AI and show how it’s being used to transform healthcare. Whether you're in the medical field, technology sector, or just curious about AI’s role in social good, this podcast offers valuable insights.

AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from pioneering Pharma Artificial Intelligence entrepreneur Dr. Andree Bates created to help organisations understand how the use of AI based technologies can easily save them time and grow their brands and business. This show blends deep experience in the sector with demystifying AI for all pharma people, from start up biotech right through to Big Pharma. In this podcast Dr Andree will teach you the tried and true secrets to building a pharma company using AI that anyone can use, at any budget.

As the author of many peer-reviewed journals and having addressed over 500 industry conferences across the globe, Dr Andree Bates uses her obsession with all things AI and futuretech to help you to navigate through the, sometimes confusing but, magical world of AI powered tools to grow pharma businesses.

This podcast features many experts who have developed powerful AI powered tools that are the secret behind some time saving and supercharged revenue generating business results. Those who share their stories and expertise show how AI can be applied to sales, marketing, production, social media, psychology, customer insights and so much more.

Dr. Andree Bates LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

E195: How Organs-on-Chips Are Revolutionizing Drug Development

AI For Pharma Growth