Organ-on-chip models for environmental health research
Our environment and our health are deeply connected. Rising temperatures and pollution put about 3.5 billion people at increased risk of chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular, neurological and autoimmune diseases. Now, more than ever, it is important for us to understand how this changing environment affects our behavior and health, and how we can mitigate its negative impact to live long and healthy lives. To better understand and reduce these risks, researchers need to know what environmental stress does to the body, starting with the first responses in human cells.
To take effective action, both for individuals and for society, we need better ways to monitor environmental conditions and their effects on health in real time. Within the Flagship Personalized, Real-Time Health Impact of Climate Change and Pollution, researchers are developing new ways to study and monitor how environmental stress affects health. One part of this work focuses on organ-on-chip models.
| Organ-on-chip models are advanced laboratory platforms in which human cells are grown in a controlled system. They can mimic certain features of human tissues, such as the lung or skin, and help researchers study how those tissues respond to environmental exposure. |
Why study cells first?
Before researchers can develop tools to monitor individual exposure in daily life, they first need to understand how cells respond to that exposure. Which cells react when they come into contact with environmental stressors? Which inflammatory signals are released? And which molecules could tell us something about the level or source of exposure?
To answer these questions, the team is developing organ-on-chip models using primary human cells from tissues that are directly exposed to the outside environment, such as the lung and skin. These tissues are especially relevant because they are among the first parts of the body to encounter air pollution, heat, and other external stressors. By combining these human cell models with sophisticated exposure systems, researchers can study in the lab how cells respond when they are directly exposed to environmental stimuli.
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| Figure: A schematic overview of the lung model. On the left, the figure shows different primary cells isolated from human lung tissue. These cells can be used in various combinations to mimic the lung epithelium, shown in the centre. On the right, a prototype of a simplified fluidic device is shown, which can be used to study dynamics in the lung model. |
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What makes this approach unique
The strength of this approach is that it brings together human biology and engineering. The models are built with primary human cells, while the technical sophisticated systems make it possible to expose those cells in a controlled and relevant way.
This approach helps bridge the gap between environmental exposure and biological response. Instead of only looking at health effects after they have occurred, researchers can study early cellular and molecular responses closer to the moment of exposure.
Towards biomarkers for environmental exposure
A key aim of the project is to identify specific molecules, also called biomarkers, that can help monitor the level and source of exposure in individuals.
If successful, these findings could support the development of tools that measure such biomarkers in practice. This would be an important step towards more personalized environmental health monitoring.
In the future, this could help researchers move beyond measuring pollution or heat only in the environment. It could also help show how a person’s body responds to exposure.
The organ-on-chip models may also serve as benchmark models for studying fundamental aspects of the lung, skin and potentially other organs. By creating controlled and reproducible laboratory models, researchers can better understand how different tissues respond to environmental stress.
With organ-on-chip models, we can study how human tissues respond to environmental stress in a controlled way. By identifying cellular responses and potential biomarkers, this work can help lay the foundation for future tools to monitor the health effects of climate change and pollution in a more personal and real-time way.
How this fits the Flagship and Convergence
The organ-on-chip work is part of the broader ambition of the Flagship Personalized, Real-Time Health Impact of Climate Change and Pollution: to better understand and reduce the health effects of climate change and pollution. The Flagship brings together bioengineering, wearable health technology and data-driven impact analysis, supported by clinical, economic and ethical insights.
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Within this broader approach, organ-on-chip models help uncover what happens at the tissue level. These insights can support the development of future monitoring tools and contribute to a better understanding of how environmental stress affects health, from changes within the body to impacts across society.
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Researchers involved in this work include Prof. Robbert Rottier, Sem Koornneef, Dr. Bing Thio and Dr. Eveline de Geus from Erasmus MC, in collaboration with Prof. Urs Staufer from TU Delft. The project brings together expertise in pediatric surgery, dermatology, developmental biology, materials science and engineering. By combining biological knowledge with technical advances in materials, design and engineering, the team can develop new tools and models for environmental health research.