A novel organ-on-a-chip device that replicates the hallmarks of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) sheds fresh light on factors underpinning disease severity and colorectal cancer risk, including the role of stromal cells and pregnancy-related hormones. Created by a multi-disciplinary research team led by the Wyss Institute at Harvard University (MA, USA), alongside clinicians at McGill University (Montreal, Canada) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MA, USA), a patient-specific organ-on-a-chip model of the colon could transform the study of IBD. By reproducing several features of the disease for the first time, the device provides new insights into IBD progression, which could lead to more effective and personalized treatments. IBD – a group of chronic conditions affecting the colon, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – is characterized by compromised intestinal barrier function and decreased mucus accumulation. It is also associated with increased inflammation, fibrosis and cancer risk, with symptoms often being more prominent in women and exacerbated during pregnancy, upping the risk of preterm birth. Unfortunately, a lack of understanding of the mechanisms driving disease progression makes treatment difficult. Existing approaches tend to target immune cells rather than intestinal tissues, and efficacy is variable among patients. At the same time, animal IBD models and in vitro studies with human intestinal cell lines are lacking; hence, there is a need for improved understanding of IBD development in male and female patients and room for a new platform with which to achieve this. To tackle this, the team created colon-on-a-chip devices lined with epithelial and stromal-derived…
