CONNECT · Project

Nervous-System-on-a-Chip That Speeds Up Drug Testing for Brain Diseases

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Imagine you could build a tiny model of the human nervous system on a chip the size of a coin — brain cells, gut nerves, and the wiring between them, all alive and connected. That's what CONNECT did. They grew real human nerve cells from stem cells and linked three parts of the nervous system together on a microfluidic chip for the first time. The goal? To test how diseases like Parkinson's spread through the nervous system, without needing animal experiments or waiting years for clinical trials to reveal what went wrong.

By the numbers

Nervous system compartments connected on a single chip (CNS, PNS, ENS)

Consortium partners

Countries in the consortium

Total project deliverables

Demonstration-type deliverables completed

Industrial partner in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Drug companies spend billions testing neurodegenerative disease treatments on animal models and simple cell cultures that don't reflect how the human nervous system actually works as a connected system. This leads to high failure rates in clinical trials — candidates that looked promising in the lab fail in humans because isolated cell tests missed how the disease spreads between brain, nerves, and gut. There is no commercially available platform that lets you test drugs on a connected, living model of the human nervous system.

The solution

What was built

CONNECT built a microfluidic chip platform that connects three parts of the nervous system (central, peripheral, and enteric) using iPSC-derived human neurons. Key deliverables include microsieve MEA chips with integrated electrodes, array devices for multi-compartment cultures, optimized protocols for growing midbrain organoids and enteric neurons on chips, and calcium imaging characterization of neural network activity — all demonstrated as proof-of-principle for Parkinson's Disease research.

Audience

Who needs this

Biotech startups developing Parkinson's or gut-brain axis therapeuticsPharmaceutical companies with neurodegenerative disease drug pipelinesContract research organizations (CROs) expanding organ-on-chip service offeringsMicrofluidic device manufacturers seeking nervous-system-specific productsAcademic medical centers running preclinical neuroscience studies

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Pharmaceutical & Biotech

enterprise

Target: Drug development companies working on neurodegenerative disease therapies

If you are a pharma company investing in Parkinson's or Alzheimer's drug candidates — this project built a 3-compartment nervous-system-on-chip that connects central, peripheral, and enteric nervous system tissue on one platform. It lets you test how drug compounds affect connected neural networks, not just isolated cells, potentially catching failures earlier and cutting preclinical costs.

Preclinical Contract Research

mid-size

Target: CROs offering in vitro testing and organ-on-chip services

If you are a contract research organization looking to expand your organ-on-chip testing portfolio — CONNECT developed integrated electrode arrays in microfluidic devices, microsieve MEA chips, and protocols for culturing iPSC-derived midbrain organoids. Adding nervous-system-on-chip to your service catalog could attract pharma clients who need more predictive preclinical models than standard 2D cell cultures.

Medical Device & Lab Equipment

mid-size

Target: Manufacturers of microfluidic chips and lab-on-chip platforms

If you are a lab equipment manufacturer producing microfluidic devices — this project demonstrated electrode integration with silicon sieve devices and built array devices for multi-compartment neural cultures. Licensing or co-developing this technology could let you sell specialized nervous-system chips to the growing organ-on-chip market.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to access or license this technology?

The project was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA), meaning IP typically stays with the consortium partners. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly with the coordinator (Technische Universiteit Eindhoven). Costs would depend on the scope of use — academic licensing is usually cheaper than exclusive commercial licenses.

Can this technology work at industrial scale for high-throughput drug screening?

The project demonstrated individual chip devices and array devices, but high-throughput manufacturing scale was not the primary goal. The 3-compartment chip design and microsieve MEA chips would need further engineering to reach the volumes a large pharma screening lab requires. Based on available project data, scaling to commercial production would be a next-phase effort.

What is the IP situation — are there patents?

The project involved 7 partners across 5 countries with 1 industrial partner. IP from RIA projects is typically owned by the partners who generated it. Specific patent filings are not detailed in the available data, but the microsieve MEA chip and electrode integration technology are likely candidates for IP protection. Contact the coordinator for licensing details.

Does this meet regulatory requirements for replacing animal testing?

Organ-on-chip models are increasingly recognized by regulatory agencies like EMA and FDA as supplementary preclinical tools. CONNECT's nervous-system-on-chip could support the 3Rs agenda (Replace, Reduce, Refine animal testing), but based on available project data, formal regulatory qualification of the platform was not part of the project scope.

How long until this could be used in a real drug development pipeline?

The project ran for 5.5 years (2019–2024) and delivered 20 deliverables including chip prototypes and culture protocols. The technology is at demonstration stage — integration into a commercial drug screening workflow would likely require 2-3 more years of validation and productization. Based on available project data, no commercial deployment has been announced yet.

Can this platform be adapted for diseases beyond Parkinson's?

Yes. The 3-compartment design connecting CNS, PNS, and enteric nervous system components is a general-purpose nervous system model. While Parkinson's Disease was the proof-of-principle, the same chip architecture and iPSC-derived culture protocols could be adapted for studying other neurodegenerative conditions, gut-brain axis disorders, or peripheral neuropathies.

What kind of technical support would we get if we adopted this?

The consortium includes 6 universities and 1 industrial partner with deep expertise in microfluidics, stem cell technology, and tissue engineering. Based on available project data, the coordinator at TU Eindhoven would be the primary contact for technical collaboration or technology transfer arrangements.

Consortium

Who built it

The CONNECT consortium has 7 partners across 5 countries (Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, UK), heavily weighted toward academic research with 6 universities and only 1 industrial partner (14% industry ratio). This academic dominance is typical for FET Proactive research projects pushing the boundaries of what's possible. For a business considering this technology, the low industry involvement means the path from lab to market will require a commercialization partner — likely a microfluidics manufacturer or CRO — to bridge the gap between demonstrated prototypes and a market-ready product. The coordinator, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, is a strong technical university with established technology transfer infrastructure.

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVENCoordinator · NL
THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELDparticipant · UK
FFUND BVparticipant · NL
AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SRparticipant · FI
UNIVERSITE DU LUXEMBOURGparticipant · LU
ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAMparticipant · NL
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENparticipant · BE

How to reach the team

Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (NL) — contact via university technology transfer office or project website

Order a report on this consortium See TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVEN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the CONNECT team? SciTransfer can arrange a meeting to discuss licensing, collaboration, or technology transfer options for your drug development pipeline.

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