Design and Application of an Adept Aerosol Lung-on-a-Chip and Aerosol and Vapor Delivery Systems

Abstract

Organ-on-a-chip technology and other microphysiological systems were designed to recreate living tissues that mimic organ microenvironments through precise control of the cells, extracellular matrix, and other microenvironmental factors. While correcting many of the gaps present in traditional tissue culture with a more physiologically relevant model, these systems still suffer from limitations. The inability to accurately administer aerosols and vapors to the lung epithelial cells is a specific limitation to current lung-on-a-chip technology. Having the capability to perform testing and analysis on tissues through conventional routes of exposure specific to the organ is paramount in achieving a complete biologically relevant system. To close this gap, we combined 3D printing technology with microfluidic organ chip engineering to build a customizable open-top lung chip specific for the evaluation of aerosol and vapor toxicity and efficacy testing. 3D printing technology was additionally used to design an aerosol and vapor delivery chamber specific to the open-top lung chips. This approach overall allowed for customizable time- and cost-effective parts to efficiently optimize a novel aerosol and vapor delivery system for lung tissue exposures. Overall, in this study, we designed, generated, and evaluated novel open-top lung chip designs that will be used to expand our capabilities.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 12, 2024
Accession Number
AD1229901

Entities

People

  • Bradley Ruprecht
  • Dylan H. Fudge
  • Priscilla Lee
  • Ronald Evans
  • Tyler D. Goralski

Organizations

  • United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command

Tags

Readers

  • Aerosol Science/Aerosol Physics
  • Nanoscale Plasmonic Nanotechnology
  • Oncology