Research Horizons
Pancreas-On-A-Chip May Advance Cystic Fibrosis Research
Research By Anjaparavanda Naren, PhD
Post Date: August 12, 2019 | Publish Date: July 16, 2019
This dual-chamber microfluidic device carries a pancreas organoid that may help scientists study the cause of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes
“Our technology closely resembles the human pancreas and potentially may help us find therapeutic measures to manage glucose imbalance in people with CF, which is linked to increased illness and death.”
Microfluidic devices have existed since 1979. But innovations in their design and functionality, especially since the advent of organoid technology, now allow researchers to bioengineer human organ tissues and mimic the function of natural organs in a laboratory setting.
Next Steps
The Cincinnati Children’s research team, which includes Naren and study first author Kyu Shik Mun, PhD, plans to use the devices in a pilot study to test FDA-approved drugs that modulate CFTR gene expression.
Their goal: to determine how well different drugs that affect CFTR expression slow or reverse lab-simulated cystic fibrosis-related diabetes.
Watch Channel 12 news story about the project
Read More.
Publication Information
| Original Title: | Patient-derived pancreas-on-a-chip to model cystic fibrosis-related disorders |
|---|---|
| Published in: | Nature Communications |
| Publish date: | July 16, 2019 |
Research By
Anjaparavanda Naren, PhD
Research Director, Cystic Fibrosis Research Center
The Naren lab seeks to identifying interactions between the CFTR gene and its binding partners and to define how spatiotemporal regulation of CFTR-containing macromolecular complexes in the apical compartment of polarized epithelial cells lining the secretory epithelia regulates overall fluid secretion.
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The Research Horizons blog features news and insights about the latest discoveries and innovations developed by the scientists of Cincinnati Children's. This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.