Novel Bioreactors to Study Forces on Bronchial Epithelial Cultures

ORAL

Abstract

Studying cells in a physiologically relevant environment is an important tool in understanding cell signaling and gene expression. Human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) are responsible for mucociliary clearance, which removes pathogens from the air we breathe. Recreating the in vivo conditions of HBECs is difficult; they are polarized and undergo a variety of forces. Polarization is required for organ-specific systems such as cilia motility and mucus regulation. We achieve polarization by growing cells on an electrospun nanoporous scaffold which we attach to a silastic annulus. Using this geometry we apply vacuum to the annulus and stretch the cells. This bioreactor allows us to study polarized HBECs as they experience cyclic strain similar to breathing. We've grown polarized cultures on the scaffold and are evaluating the scaffold's mechanical properties. In a second bioreactor, we place the scaffold into a microfluidics channel to study the affect of shear stress on polarized cells. We also reproduce the branching structure found in the lungs to investigate the regulation of mucus as it ascends the airway tree.

Authors

  • Jerome Carpenter

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  • Jaetae Seo

    NC A\&T State University, Penn State University, The Ohio State University, Wright State University, AFRL/RYHC Hanscom AFB MA 01731, Harvard University, The College of William \& Mary, NCSU Near-field Optics Lab, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Weizmann, PTB, Braunschweig, UMass, TUNL/Duke, UConn, UConn/TUNL, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Brimrose Corporation of America, Hampton University, Elizabeth City State University, Department of Physics, Florida A\&M University, Tallahassee, Florida-32307, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshah-6205, Bangladesh, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6250, Bangladesh, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh, Alabama A\&M University, Fachbereich C-Mathematik und Naturwissen-Schaften, Bergische Universitat Wuppertal, D-42097, Wuppertal, Germany, NC State University, College of William and Mary, Department of Physics, N.C. State Univeristy, Research Triangle Institute, NCSU Physics, Pennsylvania State University, Tsinghua University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, LSU, UNIRIB, U. Tenn., ORNL, Miss. St., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, NCA\&T, Duke, NCCU, UNC-Chapel Hill, Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Department of Physics, Elon University, Dept. of Physics - UNC - Chapel Hill, Nanyang Technological University, School of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Singapore, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3255, USA, Argonne National Laboratory, Department of Physics, Hampton University, Hampton, VA 23668, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon, 305-600, South Korea, Department of Chemistry, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, South Korea, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Daejeon, 305-700, South Korea, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609

  • Jaetae Seo

    NC A\&T State University, Penn State University, The Ohio State University, Wright State University, AFRL/RYHC Hanscom AFB MA 01731, Harvard University, The College of William \& Mary, NCSU Near-field Optics Lab, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Weizmann, PTB, Braunschweig, UMass, TUNL/Duke, UConn, UConn/TUNL, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Brimrose Corporation of America, Hampton University, Elizabeth City State University, Department of Physics, Florida A\&M University, Tallahassee, Florida-32307, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshah-6205, Bangladesh, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6250, Bangladesh, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh, Alabama A\&M University, Fachbereich C-Mathematik und Naturwissen-Schaften, Bergische Universitat Wuppertal, D-42097, Wuppertal, Germany, NC State University, College of William and Mary, Department of Physics, N.C. State Univeristy, Research Triangle Institute, NCSU Physics, Pennsylvania State University, Tsinghua University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, LSU, UNIRIB, U. Tenn., ORNL, Miss. St., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, NCA\&T, Duke, NCCU, UNC-Chapel Hill, Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Department of Physics, Elon University, Dept. of Physics - UNC - Chapel Hill, Nanyang Technological University, School of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Singapore, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3255, USA, Argonne National Laboratory, Department of Physics, Hampton University, Hampton, VA 23668, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon, 305-600, South Korea, Department of Chemistry, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701, South Korea, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Daejeon, 305-700, South Korea, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609

  • Richard Superfine

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC-CH Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, UNC- Chapel Hill