Understand the mechanisms of the human immune response in health and disease
Human-relevant organ-on-chip models for studying immune cell function and inflammatory processes
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Challenges in Immunology
Research on the immune system remains complex, as its processes are highly dynamic and not yet fully understood. While significant progress has been made, current research models still have limitations in fully capturing the complexity of human biology and translating findings into clinical applications. Yet, immunology sits at the core of most major diseases and nearly all modern drug development challenges. If we are able to understand and modulate immune responses, we unlock progress across a huge area of biomedical research and drug development.
High biological complexity – the immune system influences and is influenced by the entire body, making immune responses highly dependent on tissue context and microenvironmental signals.
Animal immune responses too often do not translate well to humans and traditional 2D models are too simplistic.
High human & time-dependent variability. Needs adaptation depending on the replicated disease (activation vs. safety)
Our solution
We help researchers overcome the limitations of conventional immunology and inflammation models with an organ-on-chip platform that captures dynamic human immune responses in physiologically relevant tissue environments, unlocking more predictive 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 models ready for immune cell integration.
Immunocompetence
Simultaneous integration of tissue-resident and circulating immune cells. Sequential or separated inclusion of different immune cell types such as macrophages, dendritic cells, NK cells, or T cells.
Multicellular tissue
Multichannel biochips support the integration of diverse cell types to create complex organ tissues within a single biochip chamber. By linking multiple chambers, different organ models can be connected to enable the study of systemic immune responses.
Dynamic Drug Dosing
Drugs can be added directly to the tissue or through the vascular perfusion, simulating intravenous or intra tissue administration and allowing continuous exposure studies.
Vasculature
Organ models can be combined with a perfused endothelial cell layer mimicking human blood flow. Under flow, the model supports more predictive studies of intravenous drug delivery, immune cell trafficking and inflammation-driven vascular responses.
Real-time monitoring and functional readouts
TEER and oxygen can be captured in real-time. Additionally, organ models enable sampling of both supernatant and tissue recovery allowing for all standard in vitro readouts.
Case studies in immunology and inflammation
Immunology
Immunocompetent Alveolus-on-Chip for Pulmonary Infection Research
This advanced alveolus-on-chip model recreates key structural, cellular, and immune features of the human lung to enable physiologically relevant studies of pulmonary immunity. Using a microfluidic, perfused biochip with a stable air–liquid interface, the model integrates epithelial, endothelial, and innate immune cells to mimic human alveolar function.
It supports dynamic investigation of mucosal immune responses to viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens under controlled flow and biomechanical conditions. Compatible with standard assays such as immunofluorescence, cytokine profiling, and pathogen quantification, this platform provides a robust, human-relevant in vitro system for studying respiratory infections and evaluating therapeutic strategies.
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Learn more about our lung model
An immunocompetent Intestine-on-Chip for investigating the gut mucosal immune responses
This advanced immunocompetent intestine-on-chip model recreates key structural and immune features of the human intestinal mucosa, including three-dimensional villus- and crypt-like epithelial architecture.
The microfluidic platform integrates epithelial and endothelial cells with tissue-resident macrophages and dendritic cells, and it uniquely supports the addition of circulating primary human immune cells to increase physiological relevance.
Designed to investigate gut mucosal immune responses to bacterial and fungal colonization and infection, the model enables a broad range of functional readouts, including barrier permeability, cytokine secretion, immune cell infiltration, and three-dimensional imaging. Under dynamic perfusion conditions, it provides a powerful, human-relevant in vitro system for studying host–microbiome interactions and intestinal immune dynamics.
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Learn more about our gut model
Immunocompetent liver-on-chip with integrated natural killer cells
This immunocompetent liver‑on‑chip model enables functional integration of human natural killer (NK) cells to study immune‑mediated liver inflammation in a physiologically relevant in vitro setting. Using a three‑dimensional, microfluidically perfused human liver model, NK cells are incorporated into the vascular compartment, where they closely interact with endothelial cells and resident macrophages.
The platform supports immune activation via toll‑like receptor stimulation and allows validation through immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and cytokine release assays. Importantly, NK cell activation induces measurable inflammatory responses, including loss of vascular barrier integrity, highlighting the systems utility for investigating NK cell‑driven mechanisms in liver inflammation, injury, and regeneration.
Read the paper
Learn more about our gut model
M1 Macrophage–Driven Tumor Suppression in a Human Tumor-on-Chip Model
A human tumor model was set up to test weather treatment of macrophages with archazolid influences cancer viability in co-culture. In the upper channel of the 2-Channel biochip endothelial cells (ECs) and macrophages polarized towards M1 and M2 were co-cultured. The ECs represent the physiological barrier separating the tumor from the blood. In the lower channel MCF-7 cells were cultures representing the tumor tissue. Treatment of the EC-macrophage layer with archazolid reduces the viability of MCF-7 cells in models containing M1 macrophages while models with no M2 Macrophages are not impacted.
Read the paper
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Inflammation
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.
This 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 DSS and the bacterial endotoxin LPS induces a colitis-like phenotype.
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Learn more about our gut model
Read-outs include:
- Supernant cytokine and chemokine profiling
- Supernant LC-MS-based profiling
- Protein analysis
- Gene expression analysis
- Flow cytometry and imaging cytometry
- Live tracking of immune cells in chip
- Immunofluorescence staining and 3D imaging
- Barrier function assays (TEER, FITC-dextran permeability)
- Real-time functional monitoring (TEER, Oxygen)
- Tissue damage and cytotoxicity assays
Related Products for Immunology Studies
- 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 Immunology & Inflammation
Where can I learn how to establish an organ model for my toxicology studies?
In the Dynamic42 Academy, we are providing ...
