Testing new drugs for safety and effectiveness is a costly process in the United States. It also can take:lot of time. Some scientists are now designing silicon computer chips  that act like human organs. The scientists think they have found a way to make the process faster and more economical. The silicon computer chips are smaller than a child's hand. Each one has living cells that act and react like a human organ. The chips are being created as part of a program to test the safety of drug compounds. It is called the Tissue Chip for Drug Screening Program. It is a project of the US National Center for Advancing Tmnslational Sciences, or NCATS. Danilo Tagle is the center's Associate Director. He says a three-dimensional computer chip can be designed to act like a human lung. Some computer chips contain very small models of the human digestive system. They copy the real function or duties of the human stomach and intestine , moving when breaking down food. Drugs are added to the tiny organs for testing through instruments known as micro-tubes. Experiments with the tissue chips have produced more detailed information than tests using animal or cell models. NCATS just announced$17 million in grants to develop an entire human organ system over the next three years. Why are scientists designing silicon computer chips acting like human organs?
To treat the patients whose body organs don't work well. To examine the health condition of human organs. To make testing new drugs faster and cheaper. .To further study the function of human organs.