At Tomas Bata University in the city of Zlin in Czechia , researchers are cooperating with the Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences on the development of a lab-grown model of the human small intestine that could transform how new drugs are tested .  Led by a team at the Centre of Polymer Systems, the project aims to create a human-based alternative to animal testing in early-stage drug development. The research is supported by funding to the tune of approx. 11 million Czech