By the time pharmaceutical giant Merck yanked its painkiller Vioxx from the market last fall, the evidence had become overwhelming that the pills were nearly doubling patients’ chances of heart attacks or strokes.
SQUEEZE PLAY. This animal-on-a-chip prototype, shown tilted on edge, sustains cells in thin channels (green). When laid flat, the soft, plastic device rests on retracted pins (rows of dots) that can act as valves and pumps.
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