In this session from Heidelberg MPS Day, Dr. Irina Shalashova presents her work on developing and applying an Alveolus Lung-Chip model to study idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and improve drug discovery efforts. She describes how her team isolates and cultures primary human alveolar epithelial cells, expanding them into organoids before seeding them on the chip’s epithelial compartment. Endothelial cells line the opposite channel, and mechanical stretching simulates breathing. Over time, the alveolar type II cells partially differentiate into type I-like cells, creating a physiologically relevant, dynamic environment. By treating these chips with fibrotic stimuli, the team can observe biomarker changes, gas exchange issues, and drug responses. Ultimately, this platform enables more accurate modeling of human lung pathology and holds promise for identifying novel therapeutics.
