Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

A microfluidic multicellular model of the human conducting airways has been developed for drug response and disease modeling studies. The airways are a primary site of exposure to environmental insults and pathogens, as well as an attractive drug delivery route. A biomimetic culture of multiple lung cell types was engineered in a microfluidic device to more closely emulate the in vivo morphology and function of the airway tissue and its vasculature. This approach relies on all primary human lung cells with the objective of providing a more predictive in vitro model of human lung physiology. This cellular construct enables analysis of complex response pathways involving paracrine signaling across cell types and studies of drug response and viral infections are ongoing.

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