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Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Based Developmental Toxicity Assays for Chemical Safety Screening and Systems Biology Data Generation
Published on: June 17, 2015
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Engineering epithelial-stromal interactions in vitro for toxicology assessment
David G Belair1, Barbara D Abbott1
1US EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Toxicity Assessment Division, Developmental Toxicology Branch, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, United States.
Toxicology
|March 13, 2017
Summary
Bioengineered epithelial-stromal interactions (ESIs) using human cells create advanced in vitro models. These models mimic human tissue development and function, offering new avenues for toxicological screening.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Tissue Engineering
- Toxicology
Background:
- Epithelial-stromal interactions (ESIs) are crucial for ectodermal organ development and tissue homeostasis.
- Traditional models using mammalian tissues or ex vivo recombination have limitations in throughput and human relevance.
- Understanding ESIs is key to studying tissue development and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the development and application of bioengineered ESIs for creating human in vitro epithelial tissue models.
- To discuss the potential of these models for recapitulating embryonic morphogenesis and adult tissue function.
- To highlight the utility of these models for toxicological screening of chemicals.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing human stem cells or co-cultures of human primary epithelial and stromal cells for bioengineered ESIs.
- Developing in vitro epithelial tissue models that mimic the architecture, phenotype, and function of adult human tissues.
- Extrapolating strategies for mature tissue models to design organotypic cultures for embryonic ectodermal tissue recapitulation.
Main Results:
- Bioengineered ESIs have successfully generated human in vitro epithelial tissue models.
- These models accurately recapitulate the architecture, phenotype, and function of adult human epithelial tissues.
- The engineered models show promise for studying embryonic ectodermal tissue morphogenesis in vitro.
Conclusions:
- Bioengineered ESIs provide powerful human in vitro models for studying epithelial tissue development and homeostasis.
- These models offer significant advantages over traditional methods for research and toxicological applications.
- Incorporating ESIs into in vitro models is essential for assessing chemical impacts on developing and mature epidermal tissues.
