Studying Gut Inflammation And Barrier Disruption With Organ-On-A-Chip Technology

In healthy conditions, the intestinal barrier acts as a shield against the harmful effects of bacteria, viruses, and potential toxins that transit through the human intestines. However, when this barrier weakens, it leads to various issues. Intestinal barrier dysfunction is often linked to chronic inflammation and pathological conditions ranging from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to Parkinson’s Disease. These findings suggest intestinal barrier deterioration may influence the pathogenesis of certain diseases and have value as a therapeutic target.

Understanding the processes behind intestinal barrier deterioration is limited partly due to the lack of human-relevant models. The intestine is a dynamic organ that consists of diverse cell types whose behaviors are influenced by the complex milieu of cell-cell interactions, peristaltic contractions, and a variety of environmental factors. Conventional single-model systems struggle to capture this complexity effectively. Yet, recent evidence indicates Organ-on-a-Chip technology can closely replicate in vivo conditions, making it a valuable tool for studying intestinal biology.

Researchers at Emulate have characterized a colon intestine model using patient-derived colonic organoids cultured in a dynamic Organ-on-a-Chip platform. This "gut-on-a-chip" incorporates primary human cells subjected to biomechanical forces and co-cultured with intestine-specific endothelial cells, closely mimicking the phenotypic characteristics of in vivo tissue. Keep reading to see how the Colon Intestine-Chip offers detailed insights into the human intestine barrier in both health and disease settings.