Texas Biomed Advances AI and Cell-Based Drug Testing Tools

Texas Biomedical Research Institute is advancing new approach methodologies (NAMs) that combine artificial intelligence, organoids, and organ-on-a-chip systems to improve drug development and safety studies, announced in a press release.

NAMs include tools such as AI-based computer modeling, advanced cell culture, and microphysiological systems that use human tissues and cells to study diseases and test potential treatments. Texas Biomed researchers have collaborated on NAM development for years, creating brain organoids for epilepsy research, intestinal organoids for antiviral testing, and placental organoids for fetal development studies.

The institute has also created a system to generate alveolar macrophage-like cells from blood samples, enabling research into lung diseases such as influenza and tuberculosis. This system is being integrated with newly acquired lung-on-a-chip technologies to support respiratory research.

Texas Biomed’s Southwest National Primate Research Center is helping establish biological standards for NAMs by comparing their performance with traditional animal models. The institute expects that combining NAMs with animal studies will ensure the safety and efficacy of new therapies while reducing the number of animals required for testing.