In vitro organ modeling with cell culture tool
A method of culturing different cell types from a single organ in a cell culture tool having more than one well includes depositing the different cell types from the single organ in separate wells, culturing the different cell types in the separate wells and filling the cell culture tool to fluidly interconnect the wells.
1 . A method of culturing different cell types from a single organ in a cell culture tool having more than one well, comprising:
depositing the different cell types from the single organ in separate wells;
culturing the different cell types in the separate wells; and
filling the cell culture tool to fluidly interconnect the wells.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
introducing a substance into the fluidly interconnected wells; and
evaluating a pharmacological effect of the substance on the different cell types.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the substance comprises a drug candidate.
4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the substance comprises an industrial chemical.
5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the substance comprises an environmental pollutant.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
introducing a substance into the fluidly interconnected wells; and
evaluating a toxic effect of the substance on the different cell types.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the substance comprises a drug candidate.
8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the substance comprises an industrial chemical.
9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the substance comprises an environmental pollutant.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein culturing the different cell types comprises adding a fluid medium to the separate wells.
11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
introducing a harmful agent into the fluidly interconnected wells; and
adding a therapeutic drug to the fluidly interconnected wells to determine whether any of the cell types is harmed by the dose of the drug.
12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining whether an effect of the harmful agent is diminished by the dose of the drug.
13 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
increasing the dose of the drug if the drug does not harm the cell types and the effect of the harmful agent is not diminished.
14 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
increasing the dose of the drug until the drug causes harm to at least one of the cell types; and
designating the dose of the drug at which at least one of the cell types is harmed as a toxic dose level.
15 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
increasing the dose of the drug until the effect of the harmful agent is reduced; and
designating the dose of the drug at which the effect of the harmful agent is reduced as an effective dose level.
16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the separate wells comprise a first well, a second well and a third well.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein:
the single organ comprises a lung; and
the different cell types comprise a capillary cells lining the pulmonary blood vessels, epithelial cells lining small airways and epithelial cells lining the large airways.
18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein:
the organ comprises a lung; and
the different cell types comprise pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells, small airway epithelial cells and bronchial epithelial cells.
19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein:
the organ comprise an eye; and
the different cell types comprise retinal cells, corneal cells, and conjunctiva cells.
20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein:
the organ comprises a kidney; and
the different cell types comprise renal proximal tubule cells, distal proximal tubule cells and glomeruli cells.
21 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the separate wells comprise a first well, a second well, a third well and a fourth well;
the organ comprises a liver; and
the different cell types comprise parenchymal cells, ito cells, kuffer cells, and endothelial cells.