| abstract |
The presently disclosed subject matter provides a microfluidic device that can simulate the cross section of the large and small human airways, including the air-exposed epithelial layer, the adjacent surrounding stromal layer, and the blood-facing endothelial layer of near-by vessels in the circulatory system. The microfluidic device can reconstitute the air-liquid interface in the lung and molecular transport characteristics of bronchi and bronchioles in the human pulmonary airways, and provide a more realistic alternative to current in vitro models of airway structures. Additionally, the model can reconstitute the native response of airway tissues to infection by bacterial and viral agents, and also the extravasation of immune cells from the bloodstream and into the stromal and epithelial compartments of the lung in response to an infection. The presently disclosed subject matter also provides microfluidic devices that include multiple chambers assembled by layered stacking or bonding of a basal chamber, a first membrane, an interstitial chamber, a second membrane and an apical chamber. |