Nanoparticles are moving towards use as consumer products and therapeutic agents, and are gaining prevalence as environmental toxins. There is increasing concern on the impact that nanoparticles have on human health, specifically the lung. The lung is the most susceptible region of the body to interact with environmental particulates. Current studies of nanoparticle interaction with cells lacks insight on the mechanisms that results in inflammation and cell death. Nanoparticle exposure in static monocultures may not predict the complex biochemical responses triggered in the human lung. Expensive, ethically challenged animal models, lack the capability for mechanistic studies. Whereas, lung-on-a-chip microfluidic platforms offer increasingly sophisticated methods to study the in vivo lung response. These platforms do so by applying hydrodynamic and mechanical forces to cocultures of endothelial and differentiated epithelial cells to mimic the physiological environment within the alveolar-capillary interface. There is an increasing need to use these dynamic platforms to study the interaction of nanoparticles on lung tissue. To this end, my fabricated lung-on-a-chip platform enables monitoring intercellular fluid leakage and live cell imaging in response to induced inflammation. With these tools, the project seeks to use dynamic imaging to study the impact of aerosolized nanoparticles on lung tissue. The tissue will be monitored for the progression of inflammation and nanoparticle migration.

Public Health Relevance

The increased use of nanoparticles in consumer products and therapeutic agents, and the prevalence of nanoparticles as environmental toxins increases concern about the adverse effects of nanoparticles on human health, especially the lung. Lung-on-a-chip microfluidic platforms possess the capability to mimic physiologically relevant lung tissue. The goal of this project is to use a sophisticated lung-on-a-chip platform to elucidate mechanisms of nanoparticle induced inflammation and nanoparticle migration through lung tissue.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
5F31ES029833-02
Application #
9759650
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1)
Program Officer
Nadadur, Srikanth
Project Start
2019-01-01
Project End
2021-12-31
Budget Start
2020-01-01
Budget End
2020-12-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2020
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Department
Engineering (All Types)
Type
Biomed Engr/Col Engr/Engr Sta
DUNS #
041544081
City
Champaign
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
61820