Kyoto University The Kazuo Takayama lab reports that PDMS-based liver-on-chip naturally absorb some drugs, which affects drug toxicity results. Liver-on-a-chip are miniaturized devices that capture the physiological and mechanical properties of the liver. They are commonly used by researchers to study how the liver metabolizes different compounds and drugs. In a new study seen in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, CiRA Junior Associate Professor Kazuo Takayama and colleagues report which drugs based on their physicochemical properties are most suitable when using liver-on-a-chip to study drug toxicity. One of the most important tests for any drug approval is hepatotoxicity. In fact, the United States Food and Drug Administration claims it is the number one cause of safety-related drug withdrawal from the market. Thus, exhaustive testing is mandatory, as otherwise a company that has invested billions of dollars on a drug could see it all lost because of this danger