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Explore our solutions


PhysioMimix® is a suite of hardware, consumables and assay protocols that enable you to recreate complex human biology and accurately predict human drug responses.

PhysioMimix OOC

physiomimix-single-and-multi-organ-on-a-chip-systems
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Consumables

Multi-chip plates
3D validated cells
NASH-in-a-box
Bioavailability assay kit: Human 18
DILI assay kit: Human 24
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Models

Single-organ models
- Liver-on-a-chip model
- Lung-on-a-chip model
Multi-organ models
- Gut/Liver-on-a-chip models

Support packages

PhysioMimix® support packages

Discover the applications


Investigate the application areas that our PhysioMimix® products and services support

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Disease modeling

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis
Hepatitis B
Pulmonary infection
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Safety toxicology

Drug-induced liver injury
Immune-mediated liver injury
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ADME

Drug absorption
Drug metabolism
Drug bioavailability
Oligonucleotide delivery
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Studies as a service


Our team will work collaboratively with you to design a study around your research goals and generate actionable data within weeks

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icon-nash-1-150x150.png MASLD/MASH
icon-dili-tox-150x150.png Drug-induced liver injury
icon-adme-150x150.png ADME

Drug absorption

Can you accurately predict how much drug absorbs into the bloodstream?


Drug absorption can be affected by both drug-specific and patient-specific factors. Absorption data determines how much of the drug reaches the systemic circulation after oral or inhaled administration so that a suitable therapeutic range can be established.

Due to their physiological complexity, recreating human-representative biological barriers in vitro is difficult. Animals offer limited advantages as their biological make-up differs from humans. Combined, this means accurately predicting drug absorption and permeability in preclinical drug development can be challenging.

Inhaled medicines offer an advantage over oral administration, due to the low metabolic capacity of the lung. Unfortunately, there are relatively few in vitro inhaled drug absorption assays available. In vitro gut absorption models suffer from low metabolic capacity, which limits their ability to accurately mimic the human intestinal response to orally administered drugs. Both suffer from permeability values that are not physiologically relevant.

Our solution

PhysioMimix® Drug Absorption Assays utilize Lung-on-a-chip (alveolar or bronchial), or Gut-on-a-chip co-culture models. Fundamental to the success of these models is organ-specific perfusion, which drives the development of complex 3D tissue morphologies, the expression of key cellular components (e.g., mucus or metabolic enzymes), and barrier integrities that align closely with the human.

These models can be used to calculate absorption into cells and/or drug permeability rates across the epithelial barrier. The oral drug absorption assay can also predict systemic exposure following oral dosing via the first-pass metabolism. Data derived using these assays more accurately translates into human outcomes compared to traditional approaches.

Drug absorption cells

Studying drug absorption

Limitations with current techniques

  • Difficult to predict transport rates for slowly absorbed compounds
  • Lack of mucous secretion
  • Limited transporter expression/activity
  • Low metabolic activity
  • In vivo model data fail to translate into clinical studies

Advancements with PhysioMimix OOC

  • Perfusion of microtissues increases in-vivo-like barrier integrity and permeability of the epithelium
  • Goblet cells secrete mucus, more closely mimicking the mucosal barrier
  • Major transporters are expressed by the epithelium
  • Organ-relevant metabolic capacity
  • Specific tissue functions and assay types are enabled by the 3D complexity of the model

End point measurements


Liver and gut longitudinal and endpoint measurements include (but not limited to):

Functionality biomarkers

  • Trans epithelial electrical resistance (TEER)
  • Lactose dehydrogenase (LDH) release
  • Lucifer yellow or dextran permeability assay

Profiling analysis

  • Media and tissue samples ready for LC/MS analysis
  • Phenotypic analysis confirmed by qPCR or microscopy
  • Histology, or colorimetric assays to confirm mucus production

Optional profiling analysis

  • Quantitative PCR
  • Transcriptomics

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Organ-specific perfusion delivers physiologically relevant barrier integrities


Perfused Gut-on-a-chip models provide an order of magnitude smaller TEER values than standard 2D static Caco-2 cell cultures to better predict the permeabilities of drugs with varying rates of absorption.

Gut-on-a-chip model graph
Gut-on-a-chip model graph

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Overcoming the issue of predicting inhaled drug ADME in vitro


Measure the permeability and cellular accumulation of inhaled medications using human Lung-on-a-chip models, with compounds dosed onto the epithelial airway interface.

ADME data table
ADME bar graphs

Explore our Lung-on-a-chip models


Recreate the airway or alveolar niche by culturing epithelial and endothelial cells on each side of an insert at ALI. Achieve a human-relevant barrier with enhanced functionality for longer term culture.

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Access our ADME service


Get instant access to PhysioMimix Drug Absorption Assays via our CRO Service. Through a collaborative approach, our experts work with you to plan and execute your study.

Bespoke projects are carried out by our dedicated team of scientists in our CRO facility providing you with actionable data within weeks.

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Add PhysioMimix OOC to your lab


Harness the power of PhysioMimix OOC in your own lab with the purchase of a single- or multi-organ microphysiological system.

With a growing community of users and support from our experts, there has never been a better time to transition into 3D cell culture.

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Featured resources

Webinars

web s2e4 | drug absorption in vitro

Engineering Mucosal Barriers

Application notes

Predicting PermEability MPS graphic | drug absorption in vitro

Predicting human drug permeability with a gut microphysiological system

Posters

cnb649 elrig dd 22 poster | drug absorption in vitro

Evaluation of in vitro human alveolar and bronchial microphysiological systems to predict the permeability and absorption of inhaled pulmonary medications

View all Drug absorption related resources

Speak to our experts

Request a meeting with one of our OOC experts to see how our products and services can support your studies

Request a meeting

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Latest news

  • CN Bio introduces cross-species DILI services to enhance in vitro to in vivo extrapolation during preclinical drug development June 10, 2025
  • CN Bio expands access to OOC solutions for APAC customers with distributor agreement in South Korea May 20, 2025
  • Microphysiological systems for mAbs development: how do they address animal limitations? May 1, 2025
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