Overview
- Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and AlveoliX created an alveolus-on-chip using only one donor’s induced pluripotent stem cell derivatives.
- The system combines type I and II alveolar epithelial cells, vascular endothelial cells, and donor-matched macrophages to form an immunocompetent air–blood barrier.
- A dedicated AlveoliX platform applies rhythmic three-dimensional stretching that supports maturation features such as epithelial microvilli.
- Upon Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, the chip showed macrophage clusters with necrotic cores and a collapse of epithelial and endothelial barriers about five days post-infection.
- The study appears in Science Advances (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aea9874), and the team plans to add further cell types and adapt the model to influenza, COVID-19, and lung cancer with potential for patient-specific drug testing.