We are proud to announce that Dr. Berta Cillero-Pastor, Principal Investigator at the MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine and a key member of the CircBioCare team, has been awarded a prestigious grant under the Human Measurement Models (HMM) call for her groundbreaking new project CARCHIP – A CARtilage-on-a-CHIP Model for Precision Medicine in Osteoarthritis.
About the CARCHIP Project
CARCHIP is a collaborative initiative involving Maastricht University, University of Twente, Chiron, Covaris, Orthros Medical, and Stichting Proefdiervrij. Together, these partners will develop an innovative cartilage-on-a-chip model to replicate the complex cellular and molecular environment of human joint cartilage. This model will serve as a platform for personalised drug development and precision medicine applications in osteoarthritis (OA).
“We aim to develop and implement a model of ‘cartilage-on-a-chip’ that can be used for the development of new drugs and precision medicine in osteoarthritis,” explains Dr. Cillero-Pastor. The platform is designed to offer a more predictive, ethical, and patient-specific alternative to traditional OA models.
Key benefits of the CARCHIP model include reducing the need for animal testing, enabling personalised screening of therapeutic responses and accelerating the translation of research into clinical treatment.
Strengthening the Future of OA Care
This grant highlights both the scientific leadership and translational vision of Dr. Cillero-Pastor and the project team. As a member of the CircBioCare consortium, her work continues to contribute to a shared mission: advancing early diagnosis and personalised treatment strategies for osteoarthritis.
The entire CircBioCare team extends our warmest congratulations to Dr. Berta Cillero-Pastor on this exciting achievement. We’re proud to have such visionary leadership driving forward innovation in osteoarthritis research. We look forward to the impact the CARCHIP project will bring to both science and patient care.
