Microchips for Drug Testing Merck And Imec Develop Microchip Platform

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As part of a partnership between Merck and imec, a special platform is to be developed that combines sensor technology, microfluidics, and semiconductor technology for use in medical research. It is intended to support preclinical drug tests.

The development of new drugs is time-consuming and expensive. Many potential active ingredients fail already in preclinical and clinical phases. Conventional testing methods are often problematic because they inadequately replicate the complex interactions in the human body. On the other hand, there is growing societal and regulatory pressure to rely less on animal testing. This is where the recently announced collaboration between the semiconductor specialist imec and the science and technology company Merck comes in.

At the ITF World 2025, the semiconductor specialist imec and the science and technology company Merck announced a groundbreaking strategic partnership. Their joint goal is the development of a state-of-the-art Microphysiological Systems (MPS) platform, which aims to increase the efficiency of drug research and gradually reduce the dependency on animal testing. For electronics developers, this collaboration opens up a promising new market at the intersection of microelectronics and life sciences.

Human Organs are Replicated on Microchips

The core of the partnership is a modular system that presents electronics developers with challenging tasks:

• Integration of miniaturized sensors: In situ detection of biological parameters without affecting cell cultures requires the highest miniaturization while maintaining high signal quality.

• Microfluidic control: Precise control of tiny amounts of liquid under physiological conditions demands innovative drive systems and sensors.

• Standardized interfaces: The development of universal connectors between different organ modules creates the basis for modular, scalable system architectures.

• Real-time data processing: Continuous monitoring of multiple parameters requires powerful integrated signal processing and data transmission.

Paru Deshpande, Vice President R&D at imec, emphasizes the core electronic innovation: "We are developing a unique chip technology that combines biological relevance with high-throughput data collection. No current system can achieve this. This technology closes the critical data gap for AI-supported drug development."

Concrete Application Possibilities

For electronics developers, an organ-on-a-chip system offers a wide range of applications:

• Biosensors: Development of new capacitive, optical, and electrochemical sensors for real-time monitoring of cellular processes.

• Microfluidic controllers: Design of precise pump systems, valves, and flow sensors on a micro scale.

• Modular systems: Standardized electrical and fluidic interfaces for flexible system configurations.

• Integrated data analysis: FPGA- or ASIC-based systems for real-time signal processing of biological datasets.

Steven Johnston, Vice President and Head of Technology Enablement at Merck, emphasizes the data dimension: "By integrating Merck's leading portfolio of induced pluripotent stem cells and patient-specific organoids with the co-developed disruptive hardware platform, which features an unprecedented number of biosensors, we are creating a connected in-vitro and in-silico pipeline. This provides the much-needed high-quality biological training data for AI models. This closed operating model will significantly enhance the translatability of the data to humans, accelerate the discovery of new drug candidates, and enable researchers to simulate the human body more precisely than ever before."

For electronics developers, another field of application is opened up: the development of specialized hardware for AI-supported analysis of biological data—from edge computing solutions for real-time analysis to specialized accelerators for biological simulations.

Electronics And Life Sciences Merge

Both Merck and imec invite other companies to join this collaboration. Electronics firms have the opportunity to enter a growing ecosystem early and establish proprietary technologies.

The development of the next generation of MPS models has the potential to bring safer and more effective treatments to patients faster. (heh)

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