UAE Unveils ‘Organ on Chip’ Tech to Revolutionize Drug Testing
The technology is expected to be a breakthrough in how medicines are tested prior to regulatory approval and mass production.
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With the aim of fostering a self-reliant healthcare ecosystem, the United Arab Emirates has unveiled the ‘Organ on Chip’ technology, which leverages micro-engineered electronic chips that mimic human organ functions rather than relying on animal models.
The technology is expected to be a breakthrough in how medicines are tested prior to regulatory approval and mass production.
Showcased by the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE), the technology is expected to increase success rates and reduce costs in the drug discovery process.
”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,” said Dr Shaikha Al Mazrouei, Director of the Reference National Laboratory Drug Department, ED at the World Health Expo (WHX) 2026 at Expo City Dubai.
Part of Project Falcon, which focuses on the ‘Future of AI, Lab-Automation and Organ Chips for Onward Innovation in Medicine,’ the initiative combines laboratory automation machines with AI.
EDE notes that the limitations of historical tools, such as animal models, have driven the tendency toward biological reductionism.
”Human Organ-on-Chip is a paradigm shift approach for safer and faster preclinical study. The convergence of real-world data and AI-driven lab robotics is enabling a new generation of drug discovery,” said the Establishment.
Offering widespread applications, the technology can be used for preclinical disease model development, tumour microenvironment construction, strain and compound screening, and preclinical drug efficacy and safety evaluation in drug discovery and scientific research, while also supporting research into organ development, organoid vascularisation, and immune response.
In precision medicine, the chips will be used to optimise vectors for cell and gene therapies, enabling the detection and identification of novel tumour antigens and supporting rapid AI-based clinical sensitivity testing for tumours.
Meanwhile, the cosmetics industry will also stand to benefit by utilizing the technology to strengthen safety assessments of cosmetic raw materials, conduct in vitro evaluations of hepato-, nephro-, and inhalation toxicity, and enable advanced skin-chip testing tailored for sensitive skin formulations.
