Organ Baths Test the Functionality of Engineered Tissue
Tissues and organs that are developed in the laboratory have to do more than simply look like the tissue and organs they will replace; they have to function like them as well. We utilize an organ bath, an experimental set-up, to test laboratory-engineered tissue. With organ bath experiments, we can study how our generated tissues respond to chemical agents and electrical impulses to ascertain whether their responses are normal.
In our organ baths, tissue is suspended in a temperature-controlled chamber. The tissue's contractile function is recorded on a computer. Through a comparison of the tissue's contraction and relaxation responses to that of normal tissue, we're able to assess the functionality of engineered tissue.