porous protein scaffold bioengneineering

A lack of correlated human physiological responses renders living animals unsuitable models to study the causal factors and treatment cascades of human intestinal infections and disorders 2, 3. The newly developed 3D intestine model enabled months-long sustained access to these intestinal functions in vitro, readily integrable with a multitude of different organ mimics and will therefore ensure a reliable ex vivo tissue system for studies in a broad context of human intestinal diseases and treatments.ĭiseases associated with the human intestine, such as bacterial, viral and parasitic infections, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease, have attracted considerable attention from biologists, microbiologists, immunologists and pharmacologists, as millions of people suffer from these maladies worldwide leading to significant gastrointestinal morbidity and mortality 1.

These intestinal tissues demonstrated representative human responses by permitting continuous accumulation of mucous secretions on the epithelial surface, establishing low oxygen tension in the lumen and interacting with gut-colonizing bacteria. To replicate in vitro the tissue architecture and microenvironments of native intestine, we developed a 3D porous protein scaffolding system, containing a geometrically-engineered hollow lumen, with adaptability to both large and small intestines. Options to study these functions with direct relevance to the human condition remain severely limited when using conventional cell cultures, microfluidic systems, organoids, animal surrogates or human studies.

Intestinal functions are central to human physiology, health and disease.

Porous protein scaffold bioengneineering