Humanizing Drug Development

HDD@MIT

Transforming Preclinical Drug Development through Advanced Human Models

Our Mission & Vision

The HDD Consortia, led by MIT , is a collaborative initiative dedicated to solving the most transformative precompetitive needs in pharmaceutical R&D.

Mission

Our mission is to collaboratively define needs and opportunities and implement a plan to build and translate technologies and intellectual paradigms that humanize preclinical development.

Vision

We aim to transform preclinical drug development to improve target identification, therapeutic efficacy, and therapeutic safety. We achieve this by integrating modern systems immunology and synthetic biology with microphysiological systems (MPS).

Our Research & Structure

MIT has launched a constellation of consortia focused on Humanizing Drug Development. These projects involve multiple organs/systems of interest and foster collaborative research opportunities.

Projects in Development

HDD-Brain

Launched in December 2022 and led by Professors Roger Kamm and Rudolf Jaenisch.

HDD-Skin

Launched in December 2021 and led by Professor Roger Kamm.

Related Publications

Cao, H., Yu, L., Liu, K., Spitz, S., Pramotton, F. M., Zhang, Z., Presutti, F., Kulkarni, S., Kamm, R. D., & You, S. (2025). Self-localized ultrafast pencil beam for volumetric multiphoton imaging. arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.11618.

Chen, S. W., Blazeski, A., Zhang, S., Shelton, S. E., Offeddu, G. S., & Kamm, R. D. (2023). Development of a perfusable, hierarchical microvasculature-on-a-chip model. Lab on a Chip, 23(20), 4552-4564.

Floryan, M., Cambria, E., Blazeski, A., Coughlin, M. F., Wan, Z., Offeddu, G., Vinayak, V., Kant, A., Shenoy, V., & Kamm, R. D. (2025). Remodeling of self-assembled microvascular networks under long term flow. bioRxiv.

Floryan, M., Cambria, E., Blazeski, A., Coughlin, M. F., Wan, Z., Offeddu, G., Vinayak, V., Kant, A., Whisler, J., & Shenoy, V. (2025). Long-term physiological flow rescues regressed microvascular networks and increases their longevity. npj Biological Physics and Mechanics, 2(1), 24.

Kamm, R. (2024). An in vitro microphysiological model of subcutaneous delivery. Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, 55, 100575.

Ko, E. C., Spitz, S., Pramotton, F. M., Barr, O. M., Xu, C., Pavlou, G., Zhang, S., Tsai, A., Maaser-Hecker, A., & Jorfi, M. (2023). Accelerating the in vitro emulation of Alzheimer’s disease-associated phenotypes using a novel 3D blood-brain barrier neurosphere co-culture model. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 11, 1251195.

Konig, S., Jayarajan, V., Wray, S., Kamm, R., & Moeendarbary, E. (2025). Mechanobiology of the blood-brain barrier during development, disease and ageing. Nature Communications, 16(1), 7233.

Ledo, A. M., Misiewicz, G., Dimke, T., Tschantz, W. R., Handel, J., Pelis, R., Bruin, G., Bechtold-Peters, K., Sanchez-Felix, M., & Deshmukh, S. (2025). Utility of an in vitro lymphatics on-chip model for rank ordering subcutaneous absorption of monoclonal antibodies. Lab on a Chip, 25(18), 4660-4676.

Liu, K., Cao, H., Shashaty, K., Yu, L., Spitz, S., Pramotton, F. M., Wan, Z., Kan, E. L., Tevonian, E. N., & Levy, M. (2024). Deep and dynamic metabolic and structural imaging in living tissues. Science Advances, 10(50), eadp2438.

McEvoy, E., Sneh, T., Moeendarbary, E., Javanmardi, Y., Efimova, N., Yang, C., Marino-Bravante, G. E., Chen, X., Escribano, J., & Spill, F. (2022). Feedback between mechanosensitive signaling and active forces governs endothelial junction integrity. Nature communications, 13(1), 7089.

Offeddu, G. S., Serrano, J. C., Wan, Z., Bryniarski, M. A., Humphreys, S. C., Chen, S. W., Dhoolypala, H., Conner, K., & Kamm, R. D. (2023). Microphysiological endothelial models to characterize subcutaneous drug absorption. ALTEX-Alternatives to animal experimentation, 40(2), 299-313.

Pavlou, G., Spitz, S., Pramotton, F. M., Tsai, A., Li, B. M., Wang, X., Barr, O. M., Ko, E. C., Zhang, S., & Ashley, S. J. (2025). Engineered 3D human neurovascular model of Alzheimer’s disease to study vascular dysfunction. Biomaterials, 314, 122864.

Pramotton, F. M., Spitz, S., & Kamm, R. D. (2024). Challenges and Future Perspectives in Modeling Neurodegenerative Diseases Using Organ‐on‐a‐Chip Technology. Advanced Science, 11(32), 2403892.

Richards, A., Khalil, A., Bisht, P., Whitfield, T. W., Gao, X., Kamm, R., Mooney, D., Gehrke, L., & Jaenisch, R. (2025). A novel human blood-brain barrier model reveals pericytes as critical regulators of viral neuroinvasion. bioRxiv. 2024.12. 18.629173.

Serrano, J. C., Gillrie, M. R., Li, R., Ishamuddin, S. H., Moeendarbary, E., & Kamm, R. D. (2024). Microfluidic‐based reconstitution of functional lymphatic microvasculature: elucidating the role of lymphatics in health and disease. Advanced Science, 11(5), 2302903.

Spitz, S., Ko, E., Ertl, P., & Kamm, R. D. (2023). How organ-on-a-chip technology can assist in studying the role of the glymphatic system in neurodegenerative diseases. International journal of molecular sciences, 24(3), 2171.

Zhang, S., Wan, Z., Wang, L., Wu, C., Zhang, J., Spitz, S., Wang, X., Floryan, M. A., Coughlin, M. F., & Pramotton, F. M. (2025). ETV2 mediated differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells results in functional endothelial cells for engineering advanced vascularized microphysiological models. bioRxiv. 2025.10. 01.679558.

Zwi‐Dantsis, L., Jayarajan, V., Church, G. M., Kamm, R. D., de Magalhães, J. P., & Moeendarbary, E. (2025). Aging on Chip: Harnessing the Potential of Microfluidic Technologies in Aging and Rejuvenation Research. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2500217.

Jaenisch Lab
Kamm Lab

Consortia Membership & Impact

This constellation of consortia was created by MIT faculty. We collaborate with a wide range of pharmaceutical companies including partners like AbbVie, Amgen, Novartis, Daiichi Sankyo, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

Members benefit from:

  • Research: Direct access to leaders in MPS technologies and joint publication opportunities.
  • Use: Non-exclusive, royalty-free license to new MIT IP developed under the project for specific internal research purposes.
  • Governance: Representation on the Joint Steering Committee to select research activities and set goals.

Join the Consortia

Interested in shaping the future of human-relevant preclinical drug development? For additional information on membership and opportunities, please contact:

Kassandra McCarthy, Program Alliance Manager

  • Email: kmcc2@mit.edu
  • Phone: 617-324-0683