Nasal Airway-Lung-on-Chip (AirLOC) to Study the Effects of Toxic Pollutants on Airway Pathology
Abstract
This project addresses the respiratory health (excluding lung cancer and mesothelioma) topic area. Particulate matter (PM) exposure represents a significant risk factor for respiratory illnesses in military Service Members. Unfortunately, effective benchtop humanized models that can model PM exposure and their resulting pathological effects do not exist. Lack of these models significantly hinder efforts toward developing therapies for PM exposure-related pathologies. To address the above gap in the field, this project seeks to develop a novel, combined nasal airway and lung-chip platform, termed AirLOC. This platform will mimic the breathing mechanics and air-liquid interface (ALI) of the nasal and lung epithelium. The platform will also include capillary blood flow to mimic transport across the ALI. PM exposure and albuterol treatment will be tested on this AirLOC platform. Overall, successful completion of this project will result in the development of a novel test platform for understanding disease mechanisms and developing therapeutics for military personnel, Veterans, and their dependents who suffer from respiratory diseases following PM exposure. In the future, the technology of this combined airway lung-chip platform can easily be extended to other organs such as the brain, blood-brain barrier, spinal cord, or the eye, as well as for the development of therapeutics for other diseases that affect these organs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 28, 2022
- Source ID
- W81XWH2210174
Entities
People
- Kartik Balachandran
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Arkansas