Emulate, Inc. has commercially launched the AVA Emulation System, a breakthrough high-throughput platform that could fundamentally transform drug development by replacing animal testing with human-relevant organ-on-a-chip technology. The self-contained instrument cultures, incubates, and images up to 96 independent Organ-Chip samples in a single run, delivering unprecedented scale and efficiency to pharmaceutical research.
Revolutionary Scale and Cost Efficiency
The AVA system represents a significant leap forward in organ-on-a-chip technology, combining high-throughput microfluidic tissue culture, full environmental control, and real-time imaging into a single benchtop unit. According to Jim Corbett, Chief Executive Officer at Emulate, "AVA gives scientists unprecedented experimental capacity with the biological depth of live human tissue—something no other platform can match."
The platform delivers substantial operational improvements over current generation technologies. AVA achieves a four-fold reduction in consumable costs and uses up to 50% fewer cells and media per sample. Laboratory efficiency gains are equally impressive, with hands-on time reduced by more than half through automated microscopy, remote monitoring, and the revolutionary Chip-Array consumable that integrates 12 independent Organ-Chips into a standardized format.
AI-Ready Data Generation at Scale
A typical seven-day experiment on the AVA system generates over 30,000 time-stamped data points from daily imaging and effluent assays. When combined with post-experiment omics analysis, the total data output reaches into the millions of data points, creating a rich, multi-modal foundation for machine-learning pipelines focused on target discovery, lead optimization, and safety prediction.
This data generation capacity enables researchers to achieve microplate-level scale in their Organ-Chip experiments, allowing side-by-side comparison of dozens of compounds, doses, or stimuli within a single experimental run.
Addressing Regulatory Shifts
The launch comes at a critical time as the FDA targets animal studies to become "the exception rather than the norm." Emulate's technology has already demonstrated superior performance compared to animal models. The company's Liver-Chip S1—the first and only Organ-Chip admitted to the FDA's ISTAND program—showed 87% sensitivity and 100% specificity for drug-induced liver injury in a 2022 Communications Medicine study.
Dr. Lorna Ewart, Emulate's Chief Scientific Officer, emphasized the dual requirements driving this transition: "Moving towards reduction and in some cases replacement of animal models demands both biological fidelity and throughput. AVA meets those dual requirements, empowering teams to rank-order lead candidates, pinpoint off-target toxicities, and advance safer therapies with unprecedented speed and confidence."
Proven Industry Impact
The practical benefits of organ-on-a-chip technology are already being realized in pharmaceutical development. A leading pharmaceutical company demonstrated the platform's value when one of their scientists saved millions of dollars and years of development time by using Emulate Liver-Chips ahead of non-human primates to screen lipid-nanoparticle (LNP) candidates.
The AVA system's enhanced throughput capabilities stand to benefit multiple sectors beyond traditional biopharma. Large pharmaceutical companies can now run comprehensive screens in a single AVA experiment, while smaller biotech teams gain enterprise-level capacity without additional headcount or infrastructure investments.
Broad Applications Beyond Therapeutics
The platform's applications extend beyond drug development to include contract research organizations, consumer-product companies, and environmental agencies. These organizations can utilize AVA to evaluate industrial chemicals, food additives, and cosmetic ingredients under human-relevant conditions, enabling faster and more ethical safety and efficacy decisions for both market-driven and regulatory programs.
The AVA Emulation System is available for global orders immediately, marking a significant milestone in the transition toward human-relevant drug development models that could accelerate the delivery of safer, more effective therapies while reducing reliance on animal testing.
