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Breath taking: lung physiology explained

Flower dependent trafficking of lamellar bodies facilitates maturation of the epidermal barrier

Big news in skin science! A study in Nature Communications has uncovered a new detail about how our skin's protective barrier is formed. A protein called hFWE4 uses calcium to ensure vital building blocks are delivered to the skin's surface. Understanding this process is critical for future innovations in skin health and treatments for skin…

Comparing Transwell and Organ-on-Chip Cultures in Modern Biology

Impedance spectroscopy; what and why?

Impedance spectroscopy is a powerful analytical technique widely used in in vitro testing to evaluate the barrier function of cell cultures. One of the most critical applications of impedance spectroscopy is in assessing the integrity of epithelial and endothelial cell layers through measurements such as trans epithelial/transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER). Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and…

Importance of in vitro testing for the 3R’s

Animal testing has long been a fundamental aspect in biomedical research, toxicology studies, and drug development. However, ethical concerns and scientific limitations have driven the development of alternative methods that align with the principles of the 3R’s: replacement, reduction, and refinement. In vitro testing has emerged as one of the most promising approaches to achieving…

Innovative Microphysiological Model Using HepatoXcell™ Primary Human Hepatocytes and Locsense Artemis

The development of a highly representative in vitro gut-liver model is essential for improving drug testing accuracy while minimizing the reliance on animal studies. Traditional animal models often fail to fully replicate human physiology, leading to discrepancies in drug metabolism and toxicity predictions.1 A physiologically relevant gut-liver system would provide a more accurate platform to…

HMOS 2’FL and 3FL prevent house dust mite induced proinflammatory cytokine release in vitro and decrease specific IgE production in a murine allergic asthma model

Allergic asthma is characterized by sensitization to airborneallergens like house dust mite (HDM). Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOS) are linked to improved immune maturation and potentially alleviate allergy development. Here, we describe an in vitro human airway mucosal HDM sensitization model as relevant tool to reduce use of animals in studies aiming to prevent HDM allergic…

Beyond the barriers: impedance-based quality control of in vitro lung models

Chronic pulmonary diseases are a high burden on the healthcare system and on the quality of life (QoL)of its patients. As the third leading cause of death, chronic respiratory diseases have a tremendousmortality rate [1]. Moreover, with a prevalence of 300 million people worldwide, pulmonary diseases arenot only mortal but also highly prevalent [2]. The…

Breathing life into innovation: Developing an AdvancedCOPD lung Model for therapeutic discovery

COPD is a major global cause of mortality, but current treatmentsonly provide symptomatic relief. Limited progress in developing new therapies is attributed to the absence of reliable lung models for testing.

Advanced pathophysiology mimicking lungmodels for accelerated drug discovery

Background Respiratory diseases are the 2nd leading cause of death globally. The current treatments for chronic lung diseases are only supportive. Very few new classes of therapeutics have been introduced for lung diseases in the last 40 years, due to the lack of reliable lung models that enable rapid, cost-effective, and high-throughput testing. To accelerate…