Scientists have recently provided a sneak preview of the future of biomedicine with a range of projects seeking to assemble virtual humans–or parts of them–on computers and “labs on a chip.”

The technology could usher in a new era of personalized medicine in which rapid tests tell doctors which treatments have the best chances of success for individual patients.

In addition, copying the brain’s chemistry is important for understanding Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other conditions that affect the brain.

Johns Hopkins scientists have begun tackling the problem by placing neurons onto a plastic-like “lab on a chip” and then introducing two signals in the form of liquid chemicals. By controlling how the fluids flow through the multilayered chip with tiny valves and channels, the researchers can adjust how and when the chemical cues reach the cells.