Emulate upgrades intestinal organ-on-a-chip for exploring inflammatory bowel disease

Organ-on-a-chip maker Emulate has launched an upgraded offering for researchers studying inflammatory bowel disease with its tissue model that helps illustrate how immune cells are activated and circulate through the body.

The chips create a living replica of the cells that make up the walls of the human colon and its surrounding blood vessels. Derived from biopsied tissue, they produce a microenvironment that can be flexed and stretched to stimulate the natural movements and functions of the large intestine.

This helps deliver in vitro gene expression that’s close to in vivo activity, according to the Fierce 15 winner, and allows researchers to safely test out potential new therapies that are designed to interact with immune cells and guide their actions before committing to full clinical trials.

“With this new application, we now offer the only human-based research model shown to be capable of modeling colon and inflammation-specific immune recruitment and downstream effects, providing researchers with unparalleled capabilities to investigate the mechanisms of IBD,” Emulate’s chief scientific officer, Lorna Ewart, said in a statement.

The company first launched its colon intestine chip in March 2021 to help study how the gut microbiome affects the organ’s epithelial barrier and how inflammation is implicated in multiple diseases. It has also been used to examine how the structure of the intestinal walls help prevent bacterial and viral infections. 

IBD is linked with the uncontrolled activation of intestinal immune cells, leading to a cytokine loop that can damage the intestinal walls and cause complications such as fibrosis or cancer. 

The condition affects about 7 million people worldwide, the company estimated, but research efforts have been complicated as IBD research in animal models has not translated to success in humans.

“This comprehensive model will help IBD researchers, struggling to accurately model species-specific immune responses, to better understand the complexity of immune response in IBD and the effects of novel drug candidates to treat this disease,” Ewart said.

Emulate also makes chips that model the small intestine as well as the lungs, kidneys, liver and brain—with the last recently making a trip to the International Space Station to explore how brain cells and potentially cognitive function are affected by life in zero gravity. 

The company raised $82 million in a venture capital round last September to help scale up the company’s R&D programs aimed at producing new organs-on-a-chip aimed at immunology, neuroinflammation, cancer and more.