A Millifluidic Perfusion Cassette for Studying the Pathogenesis of Enteric Infections Using Ex-Vivo Organoids.

A Millifluidic Perfusion Cassette for Studying the Pathogenesis of Enteric Infections Using Ex-Vivo Organoids. Ann Biomed Eng. 2021 Jan 06;: Authors: Wilson RL, Hewes SA, Rajan A, Lin SC, Bomidi C, Iida T, Estes MK, Maresso AW, Grande-Allen KJ Abstract To generate physiologically-relevant experimental models, the study of enteric diarrheal diseases is turning increasingly to advanced in vitro models that combine ex vivo, stem cell-derived "organoid" cell lines with bioengineered culture environments that expose them to mechanical stimuli, such as fluid flow. However, such approaches require considerable technical expertise with both microfabrication and organoid culture, and are, therefore, inaccessible to many researchers. For this reason, we have developed a perfusion system that is simple to fabricate, operate, and maintain. Its dimensions approximate the volume and cell culture area of traditional 96-well plates and allow the incorporation of fastidious primary, stem cell-derived cell lines with only minimal adaptation of their established culture techniques. We show that infections with enteroaggregative E. coli and norovirus, common causes of infectious diarrhea, in the system display important differences from static models, and in some ways better recreate the pathophysiology of in vivo infections. Furthermore, commensal strains of bacteria can be added alongside the pathogens to simulate the effects of a host microbiome on t...
Source: Annals of Biomedical Engineering - Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Tags: Ann Biomed Eng Source Type: research