General

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…

Guardians of the gateway: exploring the blood-brain barrier with Impedance spectroscopy

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly specialized and complex physiological structure that plays acrucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS) [1]. Grossly the BBBconsists of three selec􀆟ve layers. (1) The endothelial cells, which impede substances to infiltratethe brain by 􀆟ght junc􀆟ons. (2) The basement membrane containing pericytes provides structuralsupport…

Electrical impedance spectroscopy: to evaluate and monitororganotypic development and skin barrier function in vitro

For research into skin biology, diseases, and drug or chemical interactions, organotypic 3D human epidermal equivalents (HEEs) are frequently used. Studies heavily rely on end-points analysis for which HEEs are harvested to study cellular responses. Non-intrusive methods that enable longitudinal analysis by repetitive measurements can minimize batch effects, increase study reproducibility and maximize experimental throughput.…

Retina-on-chip: modeling and treating eye diseases in a dish

The human re􀆟na is a highly organized structure consis􀆟ng of neural re􀆟na, re􀆟nal pigment epithelial (RPE)cell layer, and vasculature, called the choroid (Figure 1). Current human cell models o􀅌en lack three-dimensional (3D) complexity of the human re􀆟na. Re􀆟nal diseases lead to photoreceptor cell death, causing progressive blindness (1). We are inves􀆟ga􀆟ng two par􀆟cular re􀆟nal diseases:…

Retina-on-chip: Designing a PDMS-based microfluidic chip with 2 μm-thick membranes for culture of iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelium

Electrical impedance spectroscopy analysis to evaluateorganotypic epidermis formation and barrier function in vitro

For research into skin biology, diseases and drug or chemical interactions, organotypic 3D human epidermal equivalents (HEEs) are frequently used. Studies heavily rely on endpoints analysis for which HEEs are harvested to study cellular responses. Non-intrusive methods that enable longitudinal analysis by repetitive measurements can minimize batch effects, increase study reproducibility and maximize experimental throughput.…

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.

Investigations into the FLG Null Phenotype:Showcasing the Methodology for CRISPR/Cas9Editing of Human Keratinocytes

Ever since the association between FLG loss-of-function variants and ichthyosis vulgaris and atopic dermatitis disease onset was identified, FLGs function has been under investigation. Intraindividual genomic predisposition, immunological confounders, and environmental interactions complicate the comparison between FLG genotypes and related causal effects. Using CRISPR/Cas9, we generated human FLG-knockout (DFLG) N/TERT-2G keratinocytes. FLG deficiency was shown…

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…

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor regulates epidermal differentiation through transient activation of TFAP2A

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is an evolutionary conserved environmental sensor identified as indispensable regulator of epithelial homeostasis and barrier organ function. Molecular signaling cascade and target genes upon AHR activation and their contribution to cell and tissue function are however not fully understood. Multi-omics analyses using human skin keratinocytes revealed that, upon ligand activation,…