Understanding and manipulating morphogenetic processes to generate in vitro models of airways

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Regenerative Medicine
• Bioengineering

Background:

• Branching morphogenesis is crucial for forming functional organs like mammalian lungs.
• Understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms drives the creation of advanced in vitro airway models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review developmental principles of airway morphogenesis.
• To provide an overview of current in vitro artificial lung culture systems.
• To highlight the potential and limitations of these models for studying airway physiology and diseases.

Main Methods:

• Recapitulation of key signaling pathways, cellular interactions, and biochemical/mechanical cues in airway development.
• Discussion of engineering strategies for in vitro airway models, including organoids and airway-on-chip systems.
• Examination of breakthroughs and limitations in current artificial lung culture systems.

Main Results:

• In vitro models, ranging from organoids to airway-on-chip systems, are engineered using developmental principles.
• These models show potential for reproducing airway physiology and diseases like congenital pulmonary airway malformation and COPD.
• Current models face limitations in replicating complex environmental cues and integrating multiple cellular components.

Conclusions:

• Harnessing developmental principles enables the creation of sophisticated in vitro airway models.
• These models offer valuable platforms for studying lung development and diseases.
• Future directions require enhanced control over environmental cues and cellular complexity for greater accuracy.