"Human gut inflammation-on-a-chip for replacement of animal models."

Woojung Shin, a Ph.D. student working in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin under the mentorship of Dr. Hyun Jung Kim, has received a 2017-2018 IFER fellowship for her project, “Human gut inflammation-on-a-chip for replacement of animal models.” Dozens of animal models of gut inflammation exist but have limitations including expense, time, ineffectiveness, and ethical challenges that can be overcome with this sophisticated, human-relevant the human gut-on-a-chip microphysiological system. In this proposal, Woojung plans to co-culture intestinal cells, gut microbes and immune cells in a sophisticated human intestinal microphysiological system and examine the effect of probiotic and prebiotic therapies after inflammation is induced, in an effort to reduce and replace animal use in this area.