Organ Model: Lung (Alveolus)
Application: Infectious Disease
How Organ-Chips Were Used: The Alveolus Lung-Chip was used to investigate the role of glycocalyx glycosaminoglycans in bacterial lung infections. The study found that enzymatic degradation of these components in the pulmonary glycocalyx increased the severity of pneumonia in mice, exacerbated lung damage, and compromised lung barrier integrity, leading to higher bacterial burden and inflammation. These findings were also supported by similar results in a human Lung-Chip model. Altogether, this enables a better understanding of disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic interventions in a human-relevant context, which may lead to more effective treatments.
