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Vessel-on-a-Chip: A Powerful Tool for Investigating Endothelial COVID-19 Fingerprints
Oksana Shevchuk1, Svitlana Palii1, Anastasiia Pak2
1Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, 46001 Ternopil, Ukraine.
Insights
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can cause lasting vascular issues. Vessel-on-a-chip technology offers a new way to study these effects and develop personalized treatments for long COVID.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Infectious Disease Pathophysiology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) triggers significant vascular and hematological responses.
- Endothelial cell dysfunction is a key feature of acute COVID-19 and may persist long-term.
- Understanding post-COVID-19 vascular consequences is critical for managing cardiovascular and thrombotic risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define the vascular consequences of COVID-19, focusing on long-term cardiovascular effects.
- To explore endothelial dysfunction as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for post-COVID-19 conditions.
- To evaluate the utility of vessel-on-a-chip technology in studying COVID-19 vascular pathophysiology.
Main Methods:
- Review of current research on COVID-19 and vascular health.
- Examination of emerging vessel-on-a-chip technology for disease modeling.
- Discussion of personalized approaches using patient-specific cells and genetic modifications.
Main Results:
- COVID-19 can lead to chronic endothelial dysfunction, potentially increasing risks for cardiovascular and thrombotic events.
- Vessel-on-a-chip models enable detailed study of SARS-CoV-2 interactions with endothelial cells, leukocyte recruitment, and platelet activation.
- Personalized vessel-on-a-chip platforms allow for tailored follow-up of long COVID and drug discovery.
Conclusions:
- Endothelial dysfunction is a significant concern in the post-COVID-19 era, necessitating further research.
- Vessel-on-a-chip technology presents a powerful tool for personalized diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics for COVID-19 sequelae.
- This technology facilitates standardized, high-throughput drug screening for novel COVID-19 treatments.
Abstract:
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) causes various vascular and blood-related reactions, including exacerbated responses. The role of endothelial cells in this acute response is remarkable and may remain important beyond the acute phase. As we move into a post-COVID-19 era (where most people have been or will be infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus), it is crucial to define the vascular consequences of COVID-19, including the long-term effects on the cardiovascular system. Research is needed to determine whether chronic endothelial dysfunction following COVID-19 could lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular and thrombotic events. Endothelial dysfunction could also serve as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for post-COVID-19. This review covers these topics and examines the potential of emerging vessel-on-a-chip technology to address these needs. Vessel-on-a-chip would allow for the study of COVID-19 pathophysiology in endothelial cells, including the analysis of SARS-CoV-2 interactions with endothelial function, leukocyte recruitment, and platelet activation. "Personalization" could be implemented in the models through induced pluripotent stem cells, patient-specific characteristics, or genetic modified cells. Adaptation for massive testing under standardized protocols is now possible, so the chips could be incorporated for the personalized follow-up of the disease or its sequalae (long COVID) and for the research of new drugs against COVID-19.
