Microphysiological System Pilot Studies in Diabetes Research

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Topic Description

Post Date: September 10, 2026

Expiration Date: September 10, 2028

Background
As one of the New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), microphysiological systems (MPSs) are advanced in vitro research platforms that support long-term culture of cells in physiologically relevant conditions. MPSs are well suited for real-time observation, biosensors, frequent sampling, and can connect multiple tissue or organ models.

MPSs using human cells help bridge the gap between conventional cell culture, animal models, and human studies. They support reproducible experiments at mid- to high-throughput and enable study of human biology in highly controlled settings.  Federal and industry investments have established a strong MPS research ecosystem with many promising platforms for broader biomedical use.

Purpose
This Topic encourages collaborative research that applies human MPSs to cell and tissue types relevant to diabetes and diabetic kidney and urologic complications. Although many MPS models exist, tailoring the system to the research question demands knowledge of biomaterials, mass transport modeling, pharmacodynamics, and engineering. The goal is to foster partnerships between engineering/device developers and biology/physiology researchers so that MPSs can be more widely adopted for diabetes-related studies.

MPSs have shown capacity to model tissues central to diabetes, including pancreatic islets, liver, adipose tissue, gut, vasculature, skeletal muscle, and tissues where diabetic complications manifest. Certain relevant disease processes— inflammation-related metabolic dysfunction and molecular transport between tissues—can be modeled in vitro. MPSs may be especially useful to study multi-organ crosstalk, inflammation, and disease heterogeneity. However, fundamental challenges remain, necessitating proof of concept development projects, optimization, validation, and pilot implementation.

High-priority areas include:

  • Establishing MPSs that incorporate at least two human tissues relevant to diabetes, while demonstrating system stability and durability;
  • Validating human diabetes pathophysiology in vitro through detailed monitoring and sampling, including biosensors and multiplexing;
  • Investigating crosstalk between tissues using durable multi-tissue systems; 
  • Developing MPSs that better mimic adult physiology and organ complexity by incorporating mature cell types and interacting compartments (e.g., vasculature, nerves, stroma, etc.);
  • Developing human tissue models that recapitulate diabetes phenotypes through gene editing or environmental perturbation; and
  • Establishing multi-tissue MPSs that rigorously model diabetic kidney disease and urologic complications such as lower urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction.
This topic is being issued as part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative, which is expanding NIH and agency research into specific areas.

It aligns with:

  • NIH MAHA Chronic Disease Initiative : The NIH will launch a new Whole-Person-Health approach to chronic disease prevention research and leverage collective expertise across the agency to catalyze transformative discovery science and intervention strategies that promote wellness, resilience, and optimal health, including metabolic health, at all stages of life.
  • New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) : The expanded use of NAMs can enable earlier, more predictive insights into chronic disease mechanisms using human-relevant models such as organoids, computational simulations, and real-world data integration. This improves prevention, diagnosis, and personalized treatment strategies while reducing reliance on animal studies that often fail to replicate complex human conditions. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and NIH have all committed to using NAMs moving forward, when appropriate.
  • Gut Microbiome Research Initiative : NIH will continue to fund research to deepen our understanding of the gut microbiome’s critical role in chronic disease development and progression in children to identify novel interventions that could transform preventive and therapeutic approaches.

Participating ICOs

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

NIDDK is prioritizing the acceleration of diabetes-related research incorporating new MPS tools through Research Project Grants (RPGs). We encourage R01 research applications responding to this Topic to be limited in scope (a tightly focused central aim) and duration (1-3 years) to establish proof-of-concept, validate model prototyping, and demonstrate the feasibility of adopting MPSs in the study of diabetes and its complications. Please note that NIDDK does not participate in the parent R03 and R21 funding announcements.

IC may dedicate funds available to support applications in this Topic area depending upon the availability of funds, the number of meritorious applications, and competing ICO priorities.
IC may give special consideration to support meritorious applications in this topic area.
ICO Scientific Contact:
Albert Hwa, Ph.D.
[email protected]

Bonnie Burgess-Beusse, Ph.D.
[email protected]

Daniel Gossett, Ph.D.
[email protected]

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