A microfluidics-based in vitro model of the gastrointestinal human–microbe interface

Changes in the human gastrointestinal microbiome are associated with several diseases. To infer causality, experiments in representative models are essential, but widely used animal models exhibit limitations. Here we present a modular, microfluidics-based model (HuMiX, human-microbial crosstalk), which allows co-culture of human and microbial cells under conditions representative of the gastrointestinal human-microbe interface. We demonstrate the ability of HuMiX to recapitulate in vivo transcriptional, metabolic and immunological responses in human intestinal epithelial cells following their co-culture with the commensal Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) grown under anaerobic conditions. In addition, we show…

• SF
  Styrelsen för Internationellt Utvecklingssamarbete
• UD
  Université du Luxembourg
• EJ
  EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research
• EC
  European Commission
• FN
  Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg

  Awards: ATTRACT/A09/03, INTER/JPND/12/01, A09/03, 5821107