Dr. Lorna Ewart, PhD

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• Chief Scientific Officer at Emulate, Inc
• Pioneer in organ-on-a-chip technology and New Approach Methodologies (NAM)
• Advocate for replacing animal testing with human-relevant models
• Recipient of the Lush Prize for ethical biomedical innovation
• Holder of key patents in organ-on-a-chip technology
• Leader in industry and regulatory collaborations

Introduction

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Dr. Lorna Ewart, PhD, serves as Chief Scientific Officer at Emulate, Inc, where she leads the development of organ-on-a-chip technology and New Approach Methodologies (NAM) for drug discovery and toxicology. Her work focuses on creating human-relevant models to replace animal testing, with contributions recognized by the Lush Prize and the Society of Toxicology. She is a prominent advocate for ethical and innovative biomedical research.

Professional Background and Achievements

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Dr. Lorna Ewart holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the William Harvey Research Institute in London and a 1st class BSc honours in Pharmacology from the University of Aberdeen. She spent 20 years at AstraZeneca, where she established and led the Microphysiological Systems Centre of Excellence within the R&D Biopharmaceuticals Unit. She also held roles such as Director of Toxicology Projects (Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmune).

As Chief Scientific Officer at Emulate, Inc, she oversees the scientific strategy and drives collaborations with industry leaders and regulatory bodies. Her leadership has been instrumental in positioning Emulate, Inc as a leader in organ-on-a-chip technology. Dr. Ewart is a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and the British Pharmacological Society.

Research Areas and Projects

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Dr. Ewart’s research focuses on developing organ-on-a-chip platforms that mimic human physiology, enabling more accurate and ethical drug discovery and toxicology testing. Her work includes:

• Organ-on-a-Chip Technology: Creating microengineered environments that replicate human organ functions, allowing for more predictive and human-relevant testing.
• New Approach Methodologies (NAM): Advancing non-animal testing methods to improve the relevance and ethical standards of biomedical research.
• Industry and Regulatory Collaboration: Working with pharmaceutical companies and regulatory agencies, including a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the FDA, to integrate organ-on-a-chip technology into standard testing protocols.

Her projects have led to significant advancements in the field, with applications ranging from drug development to toxicology assessment.

Major Publications

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Awards and Recognitions

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• Lush Prize: Awarded for her contributions to replacing animal testing with innovative and ethical scientific methods. Lush Prize 2024
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and British Pharmacological Society: Recognized for her leadership in pharmacology and biomedical innovation. Emulatebio Chief Science Officer

Patents

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High-Content Imaging Of Microfluidic Devices #20210341378

Media and Public Engagement

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• Panelist at Animal Alliance Event: Participated in a panel event on modern alternatives to animal testing, discussing the future of ethical biomedical research. Rethinking Research: Animal Alliance Event
• Keynote Speaker: Frequent keynote speaker at conferences surrounding the advancement of alternative methods in biomedical research.

Laura Ewart, Chief Scientific Officer at Emulatebio, introduces AVA™ Emulation System as a benchtop microluidic platform that uniquely integrates an automated microscope for imaging, microluidic flow, and environmental control to keep cells “happy and healthy”. The workflow uses chip arrays, with eight fitting into AVA, enabling 96 emulations, each featuring two microluidic channels where cells are seeded on either side of a semi-permeable membrane, with media flowing unidirectionally for downstream analysis.

Laura Ewart from Emulatebio discussed their journey with organ-on-chip systems, highlighting the evolution from their first-generation platform, ZOE, to the new benchtop instrument, AVA, which integrates an automated microscope, microfluidic flow, and environmental control, enabling 96 emulations per run with improved reproducibility, throughput, and robustness. She emphasized AVA’s ability to generate human-relevant, translational data for drug discovery workflows, while addressing operational obstacles like reliability and decision-making confidence. AVA has been tested in labs worldwide, with features like robotic compatibility and statistical rigor, aiming for broader adoption in regulatory and industrial settings.

Webinar Abstract (youtube): Infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, are challenging to study in animal models due to species differences, and conventional 2D cell-based systems lack the complexity to appropriately model the disease or immune response in humans. Organs-on-Chips offer a human relevant system that can recreate key disease phenotypes in a more physiological microenvironment due to their complex 3D architecture and mechanical forces induced by flow and stretch. In this webinar, we discuss how the Airway Lung-Chip and Alveolus Lung-Chip can be used to study viral infection and accelerate the development of new therapeutics.

Lorna Ewart presents Emulate’s work on using a human liver chip to predict drug-induced liver injury (DILI), emphasizing the need for modernization in patient safety and the potential of organ-on-a-chip technology to improve drug development workflows. They discussed the performance assessment of the liver chip, its ability to distinguish between toxic and non-toxic drugs, and its integration into laboratory workflows to reduce animal testing and enhance the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement). The presentation also covered model variability, reproducibility, and the importance of collaboration with regulators and users to drive adoption and improve risk assessment, ultimately aiming for greater patient safety.

Research Profiles

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• Emulate, Inc Profile
• Pharmaceutical Executive Author Page
• BIO.org Speaker Profile
• ResearchGate Profile

References

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[1] Emulate, Inc - Dr. Lorna Ewart Promotion to Chief Scientific Officer
[2] Pharmaceutical Executive - Protecting Human Health with Organ-on-a-Chip Technology
[3] Frontiers in Pharmacology - Optimal experimental design for efficient toxicity testing in microphysiological systems
[4] Animal Alliance of Canada - Rethinking Research Panel Event
[5] BIO.org - Lorna Ewart Speaker Profile