Physiologically relevant model of the human colon will aid development of treatments for inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut, celiac disease, and more
BOSTON, Mass. – March 17, 2021 – Emulate, Inc., a leading provider of advanced in vitro models, today launched the Emulate Colon Intestine-Chip for researchers investigating inflammatory intestinal diseases. The complete, lab-ready Human Emulation System and the Emulate Colon Intestine-Chip will allow researchers to recapitulate specific human colon cell functionality, gain a greater understanding of mechanisms of inflammation, and investigate potential drug targets. The comprehensive model will also accelerate identification of drug candidates to prevent inflammatory damage that are more likely to translate to the clinic. The company plans to continue developing further applications for the Colon Intestine-Chip, enabling researchers to better study immune cell recruitment and how the gut microbiome affects the epithelial barrier.
As many as one in three Americans aged 65 years or older suffer from gastrointestinal diseases that significantly impact quality of life. Despite decades of research with animal models and traditional cell culture approaches, there remains a lack of human-relevant models for gastrointestinal disease that translate to clinical trials. Effective therapies for intestinal inflammation remain an unmet need due to an incomplete understanding of the physiology and disease processes of the gastrointestinal tract.
“The intestinal barrier is critical to human health,” said Lorna Ewart, EVP, Science of Emulate. “Barrier disruption by inflammation has been implicated in several diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. For researchers seeking a more predictive model of the human colon, the Emulate Colon Intestine-Chip offers a high-fidelity model to study the mechanisms of epithelial barrier regulation and investigate the efficacy of therapeutics.”
For researchers seeking a more predictive model of the human colon, the Emulate Colon Intestine-Chip offers a high-fidelity model to study the mechanisms of epithelial barrier regulation and investigate the efficacy of therapeutics.”
— Lorna Ewart, EVP, Science, Emulate, Inc.
This new Organ-Chip model incorporates human colonic organoids and supportive colonic endothelial cells in a dynamic microenvironment that simulates mechanical forces of the intestine, resulting in a three-dimensional model of the colonic epithelial-endothelial interface with physiological functionality and improved gene expression. The unique co-culture of cells in the Organ-Chip enables formation of a tight epithelial barrier with low permeability, highly polarized cells, and a mature brush border. The model responds to inflammatory stimuli in a concentration, time, and donor-dependent manner, allowing researchers to study mechanisms of cytokine-mediated inflammation and therapeutic efficacy.
The Emulate Colon Intestine-Chip is currently available as an enabled product, with customer-provided cells. Later this year, researchers will have access to Services and a Bio-Kit with pre-qualified cells. Learn more about the Emulate Intestine-Chip here.
About Emulate, Inc.
Emulate Inc. is a privately held company that creates advanced in vitro models for understanding how diseases, medicines, chemicals, and foods affect human health. Our lab-ready Human Emulation System® includes three components: Zoë® Culture Module, Organ-Chips, and analytical software applications. The platform provides a window into the inner workings of human biology and disease—offering researchers a new technology designed to predict human response with greater precision and detail than conventional cell culture or animal-based experimental testing. Each of the Emulate proprietary Organ-Chip models—including the liver, intestine, and kidney—contains tiny hollow channels lined with tens of thousands of living human cells and tissues and is approximately the size of an AA battery. An Organ-Chip is a living, microengineered environment that recreates the natural physiology and mechanical forces that cells experience within the human body. Our founding team pioneered the Organs-on-Chips technology at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. Emulate holds the worldwide exclusive license from Harvard University to a robust and broad intellectual property portfolio for the Organs-on-Chips technology and related systems. For more information, please visit emulatebio.com.
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Gwen Gordon for Emulate
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