Novel in vitro model as a tool for drug transport studies
The human placenta is a unique organ that acts as the interface between the mother and the fetus. Its multilayered structure consisting of the syncytium and the fetal endothelium, separated by a thin connective tissue, is essential for exchanging various substances and protecting the fetus from xenobiotics. Considering that, over the past decades, the intakes of medication during pregnancy are rising, risk assessment of drug therapies during pregnancy is gaining more importance. Unfortunately, the current widely used in vitro translocation models do not fully resemble the physiological structure and fail clinical translation.
In this poster, we present a novel in vitro model of the placental barrier towards the assessment of drug transport using the OrganoPlate® 3-lane. This platform is based on a 384-microtiter plate which allows for a parallel culture of 40 perfused miniaturized placenta barrier, in a membrane-free manner. The placenta barrier on-a-chip provides a complex co-culture model to recreate an in vivo-like microenvironment. This model is suitable for transport studies and high-throughput toxicity screening.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 765274.
Download the poster here