Iris Kulbatski in The Scientist:
The gut’s sensory system is a touchy subject thanks to specialized epithelial cells that line the gut and behave like touch sensors in the skin.1 These cells are sensitive to mechanical stimuli and communicate information about “gut feelings” to neurons in the gut as well as those that send messages to the brain.2 To understand the neuro-epithelial connections that conduct the grand symphony of digestion, a team of scientists at the Mayo Clinic orchestrated a unique collaboration of their own, combining their expertise in microfluidics, organs-on-a-chip, epithelial organoids, enteric nerves, and gut sensing.
In a study published in Microsystems & Nanoengineering, the researchers described a new microfluidic coculture platform that mimics the anatomy of gut tissue by modeling neuro-epithelial connectivity.3 This device allows scientists to study the subtle ways in which neurons and epithelial cells interact, which until now has been challenging because of the variable cell culture conditions needed to grow these different cell types.
More here.
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