“Application of a human colon-on-a-chip for the validation of living therapeutics to replace and reduce animal testing”

Eunho Choi, a Ph.D. candidate at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, received IFER funding from 2024-2025 for her project, “Application of a human colon-on-a-chip for the validation of living therapeutics to replace and reduce animal testing.” Eunho is engineering a new type of probiotic that can specifically target and eliminate Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a dangerous bacterium that can cause infections in newborns and adults. This engineered probiotic will be tested using a colon-on-a-chip model, which mimics the human gut and allows Eunho to examine how the treatment works without using animals. The aim of this research is to create a safe and effective treatment for GBS infections while preserving the balance of healthy guy bacteria. This project could also reduce the need for animal testing in the future and improve our understanding of how bacteria interact in the human body.