Alternatives to Animal Testing, Experimentation and Dissection Articles from All-Creatures.org

Human Lung Chip models radiation-induced lung injury

From CAARE Citizens for Alternatives to Animal Research
December 2023

This new human-relevant model combines a Lung Alveolus chip previously developed by Wyss with lung capillary cells, thereby creating an alveolar-capillary interface. Scientists induced radiation damage in the model and found that the resulting changes mimicked actual human lungs, of course, no ANIMALS are used in the process.

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital have developed an in-vitro model of the human lung that can accurately model radiation-induced lung injury (RILI). RILI can occur following excessive radiation exposure from nuclear accidents or in some patients receiving radiation therapy.

Animal experiments do not accurately recapitulate key details of human lungs, are costly, and pose ethical concerns. Radiation exposure in animals leads to lung injury, including pulmonary edema, a painful condition that causes fluid to build up in the lungs making breathing painful and difficult.

This new human-relevant model combines a Lung Alveolus chip previously developed by Wyss with lung capillary cells, thereby creating an alveolar-capillary interface. Scientists induced radiation damage in the model and found that the resulting changes mimicked actual human lungs.

They then used the model to test two drugs to demonstrate that it can be effectively used to test potential radiation treatments.

This model is just one of many that the Wyss Institute has utilized to study RILI, including bone marrow and intestine organ chips. Because radiation damage in one organ could impact the entire body, researchers hope to eventually link multiple organs together through a microfluidic device, ultimately testing the full impact of radiation on the human body.