Human, in vitro disease models
Understand disease mechanisms and treatments through organ-on-chip
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Challenges in disease modeling
Research on metabolic or chronic diseases requires comprehensive models to faithfully reproduce disease mechanism and progression in a laboratory setting. Current models such as traditional 2D cell culture and animal models lack essential components prolonging drug development timelines and leaving critical gaps in research results.
Classical 2D in vitro disease models lack complexity
Immune system and many disease mechanisms are human specific – animal models can’t predict human responses
Development timeframes for disease treatments are too long
Organ-on-chip technology for more realistic disease models
We help researchers overcome the limitations of traditional disease models through an organ‑on‑chip platform that replicates the human tissue architecture, blood flow, and immune responses unlocking more reliable insights into disease progression and treatment efficacy.
Perfusion for 3D architecture
Perfusion-driven formation of 3D tissue architecture recreates key aspects of gut, vasculature, lung and liver physiology, delivering highly predictive, human-relevant disease models
Immunocompetence
Integration of tissue-resident and circulating immune cells reproduces human immune response. Perfusion of organ models prevents false-positive adhesion of immune cells.
Multicellular tissue
Multichannel biochips allow for the integration of cell lines and primary cells to create complex multi-cellular organ tissues resembling disease states like in vivo.
Dynamic Drug Dosing
Drugs can be added to the medium or externally through a secondary pump and perfused through the chip, enabling the simulation of intravenous administration and continuous exposure studies.
Barrier function & stable marker expression
Dynamic culture conditions support physiologically relevant barrier integrity while maintaining stable tissue-specific marker expression over time. This enables more reliable longitudinal studies, disease modeling, and drug testing
Integration of a vasculature
Integration of an endothelial cell layer recreates a physiologically relevant vascular interface for studying transport, immune cell interactions, and vascular barrier function. Under flow, the model supports more predictive studies of intravenous drug delivery, compound transport, and inflammation-driven vascular responses.
Real‑time monitoring and functional readouts
TEER and oxygen levels can be captured in real-time. Additionally, o
rgan-on-chip models enable sampling of both supernatant and tissue allowing for all standard in vitro readouts.
Accelerated translational insights
Physiologically relevant organ-on-chip models provide earlier, more predictive insights into disease biology and therapeutic efficacy, supporting faster candidate prioritization and more informed translational decision-making
Application Areas
Case Studies
Case Study Chronic Diseases
Asthma-like phenotype with a bronchus-on-chip model
The lung model’s unique composition enables air-liquid-interface operation with simultaneous vascular perfusion. Both features enhance the lung tissue barrier and foster ciliation of bronchial epithelium.
IL-13 – T helper type 2 cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma
MUC5AC – Mucin 5AC is a major gel-forming glycoprotein produced by goblet cells
Adding IL-13 to the bronchial model drastically increases MUC5AC production and goblet cell proliferation. Mucin forms the major component of mucus, that when overproduced leads to asthma and associated chronic inflammation of the airway. Conversely, cilia coverage was decreased when adding IL-13, a phenotype expected from observation of asthmatic phenotypes.
Learn more about our lung model
Case Study Inflammatory Diseases
Understanding IBD in physiological context
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a complex gastrointestinal disorder with a rapidly rising global incidence. Its multifactorial pathogenesis shaped by genetics, immune response and microbiota remains challenging to unravel using conventional pre-clinical models.
A gut-on-chip platform addresses this gap by recreating key features of the human gut, including villus-like architecture and tissue-resident innate immune cells in our 2-channel chip BC002. In this immunocompetent organ-on-chip model, exposure to the bacterial endotoxin LPS induces an IBD-like inflammatory phenotype.
Using this system, the authors show that probiotic pre-colonization with Lactobacillus rhamnosus protects against Candida albicans infection by reducing inflammation, epithelial damage, fungal translocation, and burden. This work highlights the value of organ-on-chip technologies for modeling IBD and host–microbe interactions in a human-relevant setting.
Read the paper
Learn more about our gut model
Case Study Metabolic Diseases
Modeling MASLD in the liver
Metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a common cause of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer worldwide, affecting over 30% of the global population.
Due to its multifactorial nature, finding effective therapeutics remains challenging. Many promising drug candidates fail to pass late-stage clinical trials, highlighting the need for more predictive, human relevant in vitro models.
In this study, MASLD pathogenesis was recapitulated using a mouse liver-on-chip model by seeding mouse liver primary hepatocytes, stellate cells, Kupffer cells, and endothelial cells in the 2-channel chip BC002. To reproduce the acute drug-induced liver injury and MASLD phenotype, the system was perfused with circulating immune cells, acetaminophen and free fatty acids, leading to inflammation, increased cell death, and lipid accumulation. These effects were reduced by treatment with MASLD/MASH therapeutics lanifibranor and resmetrirom.
Read the paper
Learn more about our liver model
Read-outs include:
- Imaging: TEM, SEM, Immunofluorescence staining, 3D imaging
- Viability assays (LDH release or ATP quantification)
- Barrier function assays (FITC-dextran permeability, TEER)
- Supernant cytokine and chemokine profiling
- Progeny Virus Titer (PFU)
- (q)RT-PCR
- Real-time functional monitoring (TEER, Oxygen)
- Protein analysis
- Fungal burden
- Fungal invasion
- Fungal dissemination
- Flow cytometry and imaging cytometry
- Supernatant LCMS-based profiling
Related Products for Disease Modeling
- Build gut-on-chip models to study drug absorption, barrier function, and immune interactions in the intestinal system.
- Includes optimized microfluidic setup for host–microbiome interaction and IBD modeling.
- The kit includes all consumables to model epithelial and endothelial interfaces that mimic the human gut barrier under flow.
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- Create intestinal models with minimal cell input, ideal for rare or patient-derived gut cells.
- Kit contains all consumables to build organ models replicating epithelial and endothelial interfaces between tissue compartments.
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- Measuring the integrity of cellular barriers in a dynamically perfused organ model with TEER
- Kit contains all consumables to measure barrier integrity of organ models replicating epithelial and endothelial interfaces between tissue compartments.
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- Real-time, contact-less, non-invasive detection of oxygen consumption inside an organ model
- Kit contains all consumables to measure oxygen in organ models replicating epithelial and endothelial interfaces between tissue compartments.
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In addition to the kit, you will require a peristaltic pump. If you don’t have one you can order a DynamicOrgan® System and will receive a peristaltic pump in addition to your kit of choice.
FAQ for disease modeling
Where can I learn how to establish an organ model for my toxicology studies?
In the Dynamic42 Academy, we are providing ...
