At the Braunschweig Center for Systems Biology (BRICS), novel mini-laboratories are being developed on a chip that combine electrical, optical, and microfluidic technologies. This allows researchers to observe, stimulate, and analyze nerve cells under realistic conditions without animal testing.

Researchers at the University of Sydney and other Australian institutions, led by Dr. Robert D. Hume, have discovered with the help of a donor heart that the heart cells of the human heart muscle can divide again to a certain extent after a myocardial infarction. This means that the human heart is capable of forming new muscle cells, even if only to a limited extent.

An international research team has developed an in vitro model that can replicate the human uterine lining (endometrium) with high biological accuracy. Using this system, the research team can «eavesdrop» on the communication between the embryo and the endometrium during the crucial developmental phase of embryo implantation.

The European industry leaders for microphysiological systems (MPS), AlveoliX (Switzerland), BiomimX (Italy), chiron (Netherlands), Dynamic42 (Germany), InSphero (Switzerland), MIMETAS (Netherlands), NETRI (France), React4Life (Italy), as well as TissUse (Germany) have announced the formation of the Industry Alliance for Microphysiological Systems (IAMPS). According to a press release, this is the world's first industry association dedicated to representing MPS providers.