Thursday, 29 August 2019 12:04

Retina-on-a-Chip: Significant Model for the Investigation of Eye Diseases and Drug Side Effects Featured

Using the novel organ-on-a-chip technology, scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB as well as from the University of Tübingen have succeeded in simulating the complexity of the human retina in a microphysiological system. The retina-on-a-chip model can help to investigate eye diseases and test the harmful side effects of drugs on the eyes.

 
Led by Prof. Dr. Peter Loskill from the Medical Faculty of the University of Tübingen, the scientists combined organ-on-a-chip and organoid technologies: Initially, they induced human pluripotent stem cells to develop into different types of retinal cells, such as rods and cones as photoreceptors and bipolar and horizontal cells as information-processing cells. Based on the findings of developmental biological research, the cells were also stimulated to arrange themselves in a physiological structure - in the form of retina organoids. Using technical tools, the missing cell types and important blood vessel-like structures could then be supplemented to supply the cells with nutrients and drugs.

The team treated their retina-on-a-chip system with the malaria drug chloroquine and with the antibiotic gentamicin, both of which are known to have side effects for the human retina. The investigations showed that the drugs werde able to trigger these side effects in retinal cells in the retina-on-a-chip model.

The researchers have described their development in the Journal eLife:
Kevin Achberger, Christopher Probst, Jasmin Haderspeck, Silvia Bolz, Julia Rogal, Johanna Chuchuy, Marina Nikolova, Virginia Cora, Lena Antkowiak, Wadood Haq, Nian Shen, Katja Schenke-Layland, Marius Ueffing, Stefan Liebau, Peter Loskill: Zusammenführung von Organoid- und Organ-on-a-Chip-Technologie zur Erzeugung komplexer mehrschichtiger Gewebemodelle in einer menschlichen Retina-on-a-Chip-Plattform. eLife, doi.org/10.7554/eLife.46188

source and further information:
https://uni-tuebingen.de/de/1369?tx_news_pi1[news]=43510