QM+Emulate Centre Research Projects

The Queen Mary+Emulate Organs-on-Chips Centre hosts an expanding range of research and development projects and has helped win over £12M of research funding since opening in 2019

On this page:

Current Projects

Emulate blank S1 organ chip

Development of an arterial organ-chip to study the role of primary cilia in atherosclerosis

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Martin Knight
Queen Mary University of London
Co-investigator:Prof Hazel Screen
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:China Scholarship Council
Cells growing within the Emulate kidney chip -https://emulatebio.com/kidney-chip/

Development of an organ-chip to study regulation of primary cilia mechanobiology as novel treatment of Polycystic Kidney Disease

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Martin Knight
Queen Mary University of London
Co-investigator:Prof Cleo Bishop
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:EPSRC
Versus Arthritis logo

Human synovium-cartilage organ-chip for personalised surgical screening

Primary
Investigator:
Dr Tim Hopkins
Queen Mary University of London
Co-investigator:Prof Martin Knight
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:Versus Arthritis

Completed Projects

Cancer regulation of cilia

Organ-on-a-chip model to investigate breast cancer bone metastases

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Martin Knight
Queen Mary University of London
Co-investigator:Dr Oliver Pearce
Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
Funder:Cancer Research UK & EPSRC (Multidisciplinary Award)
Tendon

Novel Models of Tendinopathy on a Chip

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Hazel Screen
Queen Mary University of London
Co-investigators:Prof Martin Knight
Queen Mary University of London
 Dr Clare Thompson
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:CONACyT PhD Studentship (2019-2023)
Mechanical regulation of synociocyte response

Mechanical regulation of synoviocyte response to pro-inflammatory cytokines and development of a synovium-cartilage chip

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Martin Knight
Queen Mary University of London
Co-investigators:Prof Hazel Screen
Queen Mary University of London
 Dr Clare Thompson
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:CONACyT PhD Studentship (2019-2023)
Schematic of the Emulate Organ-chip

Organ-on-a-chip models for safety testing of regenerative medicine products

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Hazel Screen
Queen Mary University of London
Co-investigators:Prof Martin Knight
Queen Mary University of London
 Prof Alicia El Haj
University of Birmingham
Funder:MRC Medical Research Council
Planned bone organ-chip layout, showing tunable 3D matrix

Tuneable mechanical microenvironments for organ-chip models - a case study in bone

Primary
Investigator:
Dr Stefaan Verbruggen
Queen Mary University of London
Co-investigator:Prof Hazel Screen
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:Emulate+Network Proof of Concept Award
Staging of bladder cancer (https://www.macmillan.org.uk/)

Emulate-Bladder: A new dynamic in vitro human bladder model

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Mark Chambers
University of Surrey
Co-investigators:Prof Hardev Pandha
University of Surrey
 Prof Martin Knight
Queen Mary University of London
 Dr Guy Simpson
University of Surrey
 Dr Clare Thompson
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:The Organ-on-a-chip Technologies Network
Human Kidney chip

Generation and validation of a urine-derived, personalised kidney-on-chip model for kidney disease and nephrotoxicity.

Primary
Investigator:
Prof John Sayer
Newcastle University
Co-investigator:Dr Elisa Molinari
Newcastle University
Funder:Emulate/Organ-on-a-chip Network Proof-of-concept Award
Emulate Covid19 Initiative

Understanding the mechanisms of vascular dysfunction in severe COVID-19

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Daniel Pennington
Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
Co-investigator:Dr Neil McKarthy
Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
Funder:Emulate Covid19 Initiative
Emulate's intestine chip

Modelling anti-fungal immunity in the human intestine

Primary
Investigator:
Dr Neil McCarthy
Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
Co-investigators:Prof Carol Munro
University of Aberdeen
 Prof Daniel Pennington
Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
Funder:Emulate/Organ-on-a-chip Network Proof-of-concept Award
Schematic, ovarian cancer

Investigating the role of tumour associated myeloid cells on malignant cell invasion in a metastatic high-grade serous ovarian cancer-on-chip model

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Fran Balkwill
Queen Mary University of London
Co-investigator:Dr Mina Mincheva
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:Emulate/Organ-on-a-chip Network Proof-of-concept Award
Emulates organ chip

Development of a human placental artery-on-a-chip to study placental vascular function in reproductive toxicology and pregnancy diseases

Primary
Investigator:
Dr Teresa TROPEA
University of Manchester
Co-investigators:Dr Paul Brownbill
University of Manchester
 Dr Virginia Pensebene
University of Leeds
Funder:Emulate/Organ-on-a-chip Network Proof-of-concept Award
Emulate organ chip

Advancing Human Synovial Joint Chips

Primary
Investigator:
Dr Karina Wright
Keele University
Co-investigators:Prof Sally Roberts
Keele University
 Dr Charlotte Hulme
Keele University
 Dr Clare Thompson
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:Emulate/Organ-on-a-chip Network Proof-of-concept Award
Cells of the intestinal lining in Emulate's intestine chip, image credit Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute

Interrogating the role of hydrolases on colonic barrier dysfunction

Primary
Investigator:
Dr Rachael Barry
Imperial College London
Funder:Emulate/Organ-on-a-chip Network Proof-of-concept Award
Ciliated cells in Emulates lung chip

Establishing an 'old' and 'young' alveolar model to assess the impact of senescence on immunity to viruses

Primary
Investigator:
Dr Emma Chambers
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:Emulate/Organ-on-a-chip Network Proof-of-concept Award
Emulate Organ-chip

Development of a synovium-chondrocyte organ-on-a-chip model with integrated biomechanical stimulation

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Hazel Screen
Queen Mary University of London
Co-investigators:Dr Clare Thompson
Queen Mary University of London
 Prof Martin Knight
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:EPSRC OA Tech Network Plus - Pump Priming Grant
Emulate's Liver chip, MRP2 staining

Feasibility study to assess the use of organ-on-a-chip technology for optimization of radiotherapy cancer treatment.

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Giuseppe Schettino
University of Surrey
Co-investigators:Dr Eirini Velliou
University of Surrey
 Dr Priyanka Gupta
University of Surrey
 Dr Miriam Barry
National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
 Ms Chiara De Lucia
University of Surrey / NPL
Funder:The Organ-on-a-Chip Technologies Network
Ciliated cells inside Emulates Lung chip

Production and validation of a bovine lung-on-a-chip to study bovine respiratory diseases

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Mark Chambers
University of Surrey
Co-investigators:Dr Diane Lee
University of Surrey
 Prof Geoff Smith
North Carolina State University
 Prof Ronald Baynes
North Carolina State University
Funder:Emulate/Organ-on-a-chip Network Proof-of-concept Award
Cultured SAEC in chip-s1

Precision reprogramming of immune cell metabolism to reduce inflammation and repolarise organ microenvironment using small molecules and metabolic intermediates.

Primary
Investigator:
Dr Kataryzna Swist-Szulik
Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
Funder:Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC)
Hepatocytes cultured in Emulate's Liver chip

Investigating the diagnostic and drug-screening potential of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition during liver fibrosis.

Primary
Investigator:
Dr Neil Dufton
William Harvey Research Institute – QMUL
Co-investigator:Dr James Whiteford
William Harvey Research Institute – QMUL
Funder:Emulate/Organ-on-a-chip Network Proof-of-concept Award
Primary cilia in bone cells

Development of an organ-on-a-chip model for bone

Primary
Investigator:
Prof Martin Knight
Queen Mary University of London
Co-investigators:Dr Cleo Bishop
Queen Mary University of London
 Dr Stefaan Verbruggen
Queen Mary University of London
Funder:BBSRC LIDo PhD Studentship (Rotation project)