Coeliac disease is a complex disease in which multiple tissues and cell types are involved. Examples of these are epithelial cells of the small intestine, different types of immune cells, and even the microorganisms in the gut (the microbiome). Until recently, it was not possible to grow these tissues together in one experimental setting, so studying the interplay between all these tissues in a coeliac disease model was not possible.
With organ-on-a-chip technology, we now are able to use patient cells, to genetically reprogram them to a very primitive cell type (induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology) and to differentiate these cells into different cell types including so-called human intestinal organoid cells which basically are similar to the epithelial cells that make up the lining of the intestine (’the epithelial barrier’).
We can seed these cells on a microfluidic chip (a ‘mini-gut) and seed this system with the patient's immune cells and patient-derived microbiota. Because we can circulate growth factors through this system we can now keep these cells alive and interacting for weeks, allowing the study of disease associated processes.