EUTOPIA Connected Research Community Primary co-cultures in Liver on Chip

The most common liver disorder in European and Western societies is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Many medical treatments lead to liver toxicity, often discovered very late since realistic vitro model of the human liver tissue is still missing. To address this, the Adiels group at GU developed and fabricated first-of-its kind artificial liver tissue on chip (LOC) with a relevant architecture and function. The LOC device aims for multi-cell co-cultures of the different liver-specific cells as it mimics the physiologically relevant architecture and fluid mechanisms. To date, the golden standard is to use primary cells and, if possible, patient-specific ones. Primary cells are delicate and must be harvested and introduced into the LOC without delays or freeze-thaw cycles. The Van Grunsven lab in Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) has vast experience in mouse cell cultures and has established an infrastructure for harvesting and culturing primary mouse liver cells. Two researchers for GU will visit the Van Grunsven lab, and together with local experts, perfom a pilot experiment. The aim is to optimize the culture of mouse liver cells such as hepatocytes, stellate and possibly endothelial cells into the LOC. We will also establish tutorials and a working protocol to support Van Grunsven’s lab to continue using the LOC for experiments with primary cells and possibly induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) on-site at VUB. This CDC is a vital part of complete liver-disease modelling on a chip. It is expected to result in one or several joint publication and a continuous exchange of LOC devices, primary cells and knowledge.