Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Draper develop gum tissue model with Colgate-Palmolive that could pave way for biomedical research advances

By Brian Buntz | May 19, 2023

Gum-tissue-based organ-on-a-chip technology replicating human tissue conditions.

Draper’s MOUTH model

In collaboration with Colgate-Palmolive, organ-on-a-chip developer Draper has unveiled a gum tissue model that can sustain gum tissue viability for up to 28 days. The timeline far exceeded that of previous models. The research was featured in Communications Biology, an imprint of Nature.

Else Vedula, a senior researcher at Draper, described the gum tissue model as a significant improvement over conventional models, given its ability to mimic in vivo conditions. The platform opens new horizons for testing the efficacy of treatments for oral diseases, according to Vedula. “The MOUTH model contains 96 microtissues on one plate with a month-long culture window, enabling many conditions to be evaluated while studying tissue response to products and therapies,” she explained.

The MOUTH model’s ability to offer real-time sensing provides high-resolution, non-invasive data on gingival function. This feature could potentially facilitate drug screening.

Contextualizing organ-on-a-chip models

Organ-on-a-chip technologies are microphysiological systems that have found use in biomedical research in recent years. These models uniquely mimic dynamic experimental conditions, providing a close approximation to in vivo conditions.

A study in the Journal of Dental Research, not directly related to the Draper research, noted that they offer a range of advantages for gingival research. Notably, they offer a smaller-scale culture environment, thus facilitating dynamic experimental conditions that closely mimic in vivo structures. Furthermore, these models have found varied applications in dental, oral and craniofacial (DOC) research, underscoring their versatility.

Draper MOUTH model

Another shot of the Draper MOUTH model

A study in Advanced Science, not directly related to the Draper research, underscored the potential of experimental tissue models that replicate conditions found in human oral gingival tissue. In addition, their model could support the human subgingival plaque microbiome and microbial diversity for up to 24 hours, which, although promising, pales in comparison to the 28-day viability of the MOUTH model.

Exploring the MOUTH gum tissue model

Oral health is integral to overall health, but accurately modeling the human oral environment in vitro has been challenging. Traditional two-dimensional cell cultivation techniques struggle to replicate the intricate conditions of the human mouth. That’s where organ-on-a-chip technologies like the MOUTH model come in. “The main purpose of the MOUTH model is to provide an improved testing platform to develop oral care products,” Vedula explained. “Colgate-Palmolive does not work with animal models, and other lab-grown tissue models are either low throughput, expensive or do not replicate gum tissue structure and function.”

Future horizons: The potential of the gum tissue model and beyond

While the development of gingival models marks a promising milestone, challenges regarding the lack of standardization in their development and application remain. However, Vedula remains optimistic, highlighting, “The extended culture duration of at least 28 days supports multi-week experiments on viable gum tissue. This is significant for R&D efforts because it enables flexibility in the types of testing done on gum tissue.”

Such flexibility suggests the potential of organs-on-a-chip as viable alternatives to animal testing and as enablers for more personalized medicine approaches. Recent investments from organizations such as Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, and NIH into Draper’s organ-chips, along with their diverse applications from drug toxicity screening to studying cancer metastasis, underscore the promising future of this technology.

Draper’s organ-chip technology has piqued the interest of NASA. A multi-agency team led by the space agency has enlisted Draper’s vascular-system-on-a-chip for a long-duration experiment aiming to understand the impacts of space travel on the human body, replicating conditions aboard the International Space Station.

In 2022, Draper announced that one of its models could predict the response of COVID-19 antivirals.

Within the context of advanced biomedical research, the long-lasting capabilities of organ-on-a-chip models grant unprecedented opportunities for sustained biological exploration. “The extended culture window of 28 days allows for complex, multi-week experiments,” Vedula said.


Filed Under: Women in Pharma and Biotech
Tagged With: biomedical research, Colgate-Palmolive, Draper, gum tissue model, MOUTH model, oral disease treatment, organ-on-a-chip
 

About The Author

Brian Buntz

As the pharma and biotech editor at WTWH Media, Brian has almost two decades of experience in B2B media, with a focus on healthcare and technology. While he has long maintained a keen interest in AI, more recently Brian has made making data analysis a central focus, and is exploring tools ranging from NLP and clustering to predictive analytics.

Throughout his 18-year tenure, Brian has covered an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. Prior to WTWH, he held the title of content director at Informa, where he focused on topics such as connected devices, cybersecurity, AI and Industry 4.0. A dedicated decade at UBM saw Brian providing in-depth coverage of the medical device sector. Engage with Brian on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

Related Articles Read More >

The AI Meets Life Sci podcast with Kayleen Brown and Brian Buntz explores AI's role in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotech, medtech and more.
When will drug development have its ChatGPT moment? Inside ambitious AI initiatives at Sanofi and Medable
squirrel in the grass
Fauna Bio CEO on tapping extreme mammals for human disease breakthroughs
ATOMIC
Inside Amgen’s ATOMIC strategy to use ML to accelerate clinical trials
Caribou Biosciences
Caribou Biosciences’ CEO discusses CRISPR progress, future goals, and gender equality in biotech
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE