NAFLD on a chip
In medical practice, cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are increasingly common, that is, excessive accumulation of fat in the liver in people who do not abuse alcohol. Currently, there are no approved drugs for the treatment of this disease, which, according to experts, will soon become the main reason for the need for liver transplantation.
Scientists from the University of Massachusetts have developed a "lab on a chip" technology that will be able to simulate different levels of progression of this disease in cells through one continuous tissue.
A laboratory on a chip is a miniature device that allows one or more multi–stage biochemical processes to be carried out on a chip with an area of several mm2 to several cm2. The main advantages of a laboratory on a chip are its ease of use, high speed of analysis, a small number of samples and reagents necessary to obtain a result, as well as good reproducibility of results due to the use of standard technologies and automated equipment during manufacture and application. Such a device will be used to assess the influence of factors such as the concentration of fat and oxygen on the development of NAFLD. The platform will allow for detailed studies of the progression of the disease.
In addition, a laboratory on a chip platform will help assess the potential of drugs for further testing in clinical trials. Such a strategy will reduce the cost and accelerate the search for effective drugs for the treatment of various manifestations of NAFLD, which range from benign fat accumulation to more serious complications, including fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer.
According to scientists, this platform is unique in that in one continuous liver tissue on one chip, it is possible to study different degrees of severity of the disease and study how liver tissue can respond to NAFLD triggers and to various therapeutic methods.
The article Bulutoglu et. al A microfluidic patterned model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: applications to disease progression and zonation is published in the journal Lab on a chip.
Elena Panasyuk, portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Massachusetts General Hospital: Lab-on-a-chip may help identify new treatments for liver disease.