C O L U M N
THE NERDY VET
PETS ON A CHIP
By: Chris Queen
Personalised Medicine for Pets:
Fiction or Future Fact?
One of the problems with current methods
for studying disease and potential treatment
responses in both animals and ourselves is
that they are very much ‘catch all’ and not
individual or tailored. It is acknowledged that
the response of a cell in a Petri dish may very
well differ markedly to that seen in our bodies,
and the issue with animal testing is even more
complicated, with ethical considerations to
add to the question of whether we and our
pets are really likely to respond the same way
as a mouse to medicines or disease states.
It isn’t hard to see how the answer to that
question is “probably not.”
The issue of treatment research and testing is
even more of a tricky one in veterinary as there
is so little drug research and development
investment compared to humans, so much of
the medicines arsenal we use as vets and pet
owners is from those developed for humans.
With species and even breed differences
at play then it is even less likely that we can
accurately and reliably predict responses in
individual patients. This can make healthcare
for our pets more of an exercise in the unknown
than it really should be. As a vet I really want
to be able to feel confident that the drug I am
going to give Sam the Siamese is not going to
cause problems for him whilst being amazingly
beneficial to Rover the Retriever - it just makes
things worryingly confusing and more like a
game of Russian Roulette than good medicine.
The ultimate promise is that of truly
personalised medicine, with tailored monitoring
and treatment plans based on the exact
requirements and responses of the individual
pet. A system that is fast, accurate, inexpensive
and easy to use, for example by easily
integrating with a smartphone. Imagine such a
system. I do.
Could ‘organs-on-a-chip’ be the answer?
Developed by scientists at the Wyss Institute,
part of Harvard University in the US, these
memory-stick sized devices hold real promise.
For example, one is the human ‘lung-on-
a-chip,’ which contains human lung cells
and blood capillary cells, as found in a real
lung, and which has air and fluid with blood
cells passed through it, as in a real lung, in
addition to expanding and contracting as a
real lung would. As
such, much more
accurate and
reliable responses
to various drugs,
toxins and disease
states can be
tested and studied,
thus improving the
Lung on a chip
development of
(wyss.harvard.edu)
safe and effective
treatments. There
are other similar organs, such as heart, which
actually contracts like a real heart, kidney and
bone marrow. They can even be connected
together to produce, in effect, a ‘person-on-
a-chip,’ which is so exciting for seeing how
organs interact and respond to various factors.
The true promise of individual medicine!
The system is currently being developed for
human modelling, and so contain human cells,
but it is not too far fetched to imagine a future
whereby we can take cells from our pets and
produce their own chips - ‘pet on a chip’ if you
like - and thus enable us to tailor healthcare
for our pets in the same way we will do for
ourselves. Healthier, longer-lived pets and an
extension of the strong bond between us and
our pets is the promise.
Chris is a vet, a self-confessed technology enthusiast and a nerd. This level of nerdiness has seen Chris develop
his own award winning iPhone apps for UK dog and cat owners, in addition to writing on a range of technology
matters relevant to pets and the veterinary profession. He made the move out to Dubai in early 2013, plying his
trade as a small animal vet. When he is not writing, thinking nerdy thoughts or treating animals, he can be found
training for and competing in triathlons, kite surfing or jumping from planes in the interest of fun.