The first study investigating the mechanism of how a disease develops using human organ-on-a-chip technology has been successfully completed by engineers at The University of Texas at Austin.
The first study investigating the mechanism of how a disease develops using human organ-on-a-chip technology has been successfully completed by engineers at The University of Texas at Austin.
Researchers from the Cockrell School of Engineering were able to shed light on a part of the human body – the digestive system — where many questions remain unanswered. Using their “gut inflammation-on-a-chip” microphysiological system, the research team confirmed that intestinal barrier disruption is the onset initiator of gut inflammation.
The study also includes evidence that casts doubt on the conventional wisdom of taking probiotics – live bacteria that are considered good for gut health and found in supplements and foods such as yogurt – on a regular basis. According to the findings, the benefits of probiotics depend on the vitality of one’s intestinal epithelium, or the gut barrier, a delicate single-cell layer that protects the rest of the body from other potentially harmful bacteria found in the human gut.
“By making it possible to customize specific conditions in the gut, we could establish the original catalyst, or onset initiator, for the disease,” said Hyun Jung Kim, assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering who led the study. “If we can determine the root cause, we can more accurately determine the most appropriate treatment.”
Read more at University of Texas at Austin
Image: Biomedical engineering assistant professor Hyun Jung Kim with the gut-on-a-chip. CREDIT: Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
