# KIST builds muscle-on-chip with human cells that responds to exercise-like stimulation and high glucose

- Published: 2026-11-11 13:21 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Biotechnology
- Tags: muscle-on-chip, human muscle model, KIST, organ chip, motor neurons, endothelial cells, glucose uptake, mitochondrial function, preclinical platform
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-da970074d95b92b284f589a4_kist_builds_muscle/

**Korean researchers combined human muscle cells, motor neurons and endothelial cells on one chip; it is intended as a preclinical in vitro platform for testing stimuli.**

![KIST builds muscle-on-chip with human cells that responds to exercise-like stimulation and high glucose](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/1a3b5d6fb4d14fba.jpg)
*Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0*

KIST announced on November 11 that a team led by senior researcher Kim Ji-hoon, with groups of Prof. Son Jang-won (Catholic University) and Prof. Jeong Seok (Korea University), built a human muscle model on a chip, yna.co.kr reports [1]. It combines muscle cells, motor neurons and vascular endothelial cells in one microdevice [1].

Three-dimensional muscle tissue forms inside the chip, and motor neurons extend along microchannels to it. Repeated nerve stimulation, imitating exercise, thickened muscle fibers and raised energy-metabolism gene activity, mitochondrial function and glucose uptake [1]. In a high-glucose environment imitating metabolic stress, energy metabolism declined [1].

Co-culturing with endothelial cells changed the calcium signal of motor neurons and the muscle response to stimulation, the team said [1]. They expect to use the chip to test drug candidates and exercise or rehabilitation stimuli in human cells. The results appeared on September 4 in Advanced Materials.

## Sources

1. [yna.co.kr](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261110162500017)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-da970074d95b92b284f589a4_kist_builds_muscle/