First-of-its-kind model replicates human alveolar lung tissue
Allows researchers to study effects of COVID-19 on cell growth and development
Provides insight as to how various drugs impact viral spread
Globally, lung failure is one of the leading causes of death. Many conditions can affect and damage the lungs, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, influenza, pneumonia, and, most recently, COVID-19. To better understand respiratory diseases and develop new drugs faster, investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital designed a 3D "lung-on-a-chip" model of the distal lung and alveolar structures, the tiny air sacs that take in oxygen as you breathe. With this innovation, researchers are actively studying how COVID-19 viral particles travel through airways and impact pulmonary cells. Notably, this technology enables scientists to investigate how various COVID-19 therapies, such as remdesivir, impact the replication of the virus. Their results are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"We believe that it is a true innovation," said Y. Shrike Zhang, PhD, associate bioengineer in the Brigham's Department of Medicine and Division of Engineering in Medicine. "This is a first-of-its-kind in vitro model of the human lower lung that can be used to test many of the biological mechanisms and therapeutic agents, including anti-viral drugs for COVID-19 research."
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Research Paper:
