Medical Breakthrough: Lung on a Chip Could Transform Respiratory Disease Treatment
Researchers have developed a mini human lung that can breathe and simulate infections, opening the door to personalized treatments for challenging respiratory conditions such as tuberculosis.
In a groundbreaking achievement, scientists at the Francis Crick Institute in London developed a “lung-on-a-chip,” a miniature human lung capable of breathing and responding to infections like a real lung.
The model uses pluripotent stem cells from a single individual, allowing researchers to study how lung and immune cells react to infections within the same genetic background. The technology mimics alveoli and includes 3D breathing motions, enabling cells to form microvilli that enhance oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange.
Immune cells were added to act as the first line of defense. When exposed to tuberculosis bacteria, the lung-on-a-chip formed granuloma-like structures, representing the early, symptom-free stage of infection and giving scientists an unprecedented view of disease onset.
This innovation advances personalized medicine: lungs can be modeled from a specific patient’s cells to study genetic and immune responses, guiding tailored treatments.
Additionally, the technology offers an ethical and accurate alternative to animal testing. Future applications include viral pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, and the potential combination of bioengineering and AI to create a “digital lung” predicting patient responses before treatment.
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