Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2025
10:51
Co-culture of Living Microbiome with Microengineered Human Intestinal Villi in a Gut-on-a-Chip Microfluidic Device
Published on: August 30, 2016
22.5K
Unravelling animal-microbiota evolution on a chip.
Ostaizka Aizpurua1, Kees Blijleven1, Urvish Trivedi2
1Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Trends in Microbiology
|May 22, 2023
Summary
Microorganisms significantly influence animal evolution. Gut-on-a-chip models help unravel how host genetics and microbial communities interact, revealing the evolutionary role of these relationships.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Microbiology
- Host-Microbiota Interactions
Background:
- The influence of microorganisms on animal evolution is a key biological question.
- While correlations exist between animal evolution and microbial communities, causal mechanisms remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanistic processes and causal relationships between animal hosts and their associated microbial communities.
- To explore how host genetic features influence microbiome assembly and host-microbiota interactions in evolution.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing gut-on-a-chip models to study animal intestinal tissue responses to microbial stimuli.
- Comparing responses of animal intestinal tissue models to various microbial stimuli.
Main Results:
- Gut-on-a-chip models offer an innovative approach beyond conventional microbiome profiling.
- This method allows for the study of how different animals sense and react to microbes.
Conclusions:
- Host-microbiota interactions play a crucial role in animal evolution.
- Understanding these interactions can elucidate how host genetics shape microbiome assembly and evolutionary trajectories.
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