• Introducing organs-on-chips to the lymph

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Wed Mar 9 21:30:50 2022
    Introducing organs-on-chips to the lymph system

    Date:
    March 9, 2022
    Source:
    Texas A&M University
    Summary:
    Currently, there is little research focused on understanding
    mechanisms and drug discovery of lymphatic vascular
    diseases. However, conditions such as lymphedema, a buildup of
    fluid in the body when the lymph system is damaged, impact more
    than 200,000 people every year in the United States alone.



    FULL STORY ========================================================================== Currently, there is little research focused on understanding mechanisms
    and drug discovery of lymphatic vascular diseases. However, conditions
    such as lymphedema, a buildup of fluid in the body when the lymph system
    is damaged, impact more than 200,000 people every year in the United
    States alone.


    ==========================================================================
    Dr. Abhishek Jain, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has taken his expertise in
    organ-on-chip models and applied them to a field they've never been used
    in before, creating the first lymphangion-chip.

    To engineer this new device, Jain's team first developed a new technique
    to create microfluidic cylindrical blood or lymphatic vessels consisting
    of endothelial cells, which line blood vessels. It could then use
    this technique to create a co-cultured multicellular lymphangion, the functional unit of a lymph vessel, and successfully recreate a typical
    section of a lymphatic transport vessel in vitro, or outside the body.

    "We can now better understand how mechanical forces regulate lymphatic physiology and pathophysiology," Jain said. "We can also understand
    what are the mechanisms that result in lymphedema, and then we can
    find new targets for drug discovery with this platform." The project
    is in collaboration with Dr. David Zawieja from the Texas A&M College
    of Medicine. Their research was published in the Jan. 7 issue of the
    journal Lab on a Chip.

    "Collaborations with Dr. Zawieja and others in the department played a
    crucial role," Jain said. "They introduced me to this topic and provide
    their longstanding expertise that has made it possible for us to create
    this new organ-on-chip platform and now advance it in these exciting
    directions using contemporary experimental models." Jain said the impact
    of this work is far-reaching because there is a new hope for patients
    with lymphatic diseases. They can now learn about the biology of these
    diseases and reach a point where they can be treated.

    "The most exciting part of this research is that it is allowing us to
    now push the organ-on-chip in directions where finding cures for rare and orphan (understudied) diseases is possible with less effort and money,"
    Jain said. "We can help the pharma industry to invest in this platform
    and find a cure for lymphedema that impacts millions of people."

    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Texas_A&M_University. Original written
    by Jennifer Reiley. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Amirali Selahi, Teshan Fernando, Sanjukta Chakraborty, Mariappan
    Muthuchamy, David C. Zawieja, Abhishek Jain. Lymphangion-chip:
    a microphysiological system which supports co-culture and
    bidirectional signaling of lymphatic endothelial and muscle
    cells. Lab on a Chip, 2022; 22 (1): 121 DOI: 10.1039/D1LC00720C ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220309151723.htm

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