A Gut-on-a-Chip Model to Study the Gut Microbiome-Nervous System Axis

The human body is colonized by at least the same number of microbial cells as it composed cells, and most these microorganisms are located in gut. Though interplay between gut microbiome host has been extensively studied, how interacts with enteric nervous system remains largely unknown. To date, a physiologically representative vitro model to study microbiome-nervous interactions does not exist. fill this gap, we further developed human-microbial crosstalk (HuMiX) gut-on-chip introducing induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons into device. resulting model, 'neuroHuMiX', allows for co-culture bacterial, epithelial, neuronal across microfluidic channels, separated semi-permeable membranes. Despite separation different cell types, can communicate each other through soluble factors, simultaneously providing an opportunity type separately. This setup first insights affects cells. critical step studying understanding axis.