Proof-of-Concept Human Organ-on-Chip Study: First Step of Platform to Assess Neuro-Immunological Communication Involved in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are complex chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Recent evidence suggests that the gut-brain axis may be pivotal in gastrointestinal and neurological diseases, especially IBD. Here, we present the first proof of concept for a microfluidic technology to model bilateral neuro-immunological communication.

Deposition chamber technology as building blocks for a standardized brain-on-chip framework.

The in vitro modeling of human brain connectomes is key to exploring the structure-function relationship of the central nervous system. Elucidating this intricate relationship will allow better studying of the pathological mechanisms of neurodegeneration and hence result in improved drug screenings for complex neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson diseases. However, currently used in vitro modeling technologies lack the potential to mimic physiologically relevant neural structures.

Nuclear HMGB1 protects from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease through negative regulation of liver X receptor.

Dysregulations of lipid metabolism in the liver may trigger steatosis progression, leading to potentially severe clinical consequences such as nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLDs). Molecular mechanisms underlying liver lipogenesis are very complex and fine-tuned by chromatin dynamics and multiple key transcription factors. Here, we demonstrate that the nuclear factor HMGB1 acts as a strong repressor of liver lipogenesis.

Co-culture of Glutamatergic Neurons and Pediatric High-Grade Glioma Cells Into Microfluidic Devices to Assess Electrical Interactions.

Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGG) represent childhood and adolescent brain cancers that carry a rapid dismal prognosis. Since there is a need to overcome the resistance to current treatments and find a new way of cure, modeling the disease as close as possible in an in vitro setting to test new drugs and therapeutic procedures is highly demanding. Studying their fundamental pathobiological processes, including glutamatergic neuron hyperexcitability, will be a real advance in understanding interactions between the environmental brain and pHGG cells.

Lipid exchanges drove the evolution of mutualism during plant terrestrialization.

Symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) improves plant nutrition in most land plants, and its contribution to the colonization of land by plants has been hypothesized. Here, we identify a conserved transcriptomic response to AMF among land plants, including the activation of lipid metabolism. Using gain of function, we show the transfer of lipids from the liverwort to AMF and its direct regulation by the transcription factor WRINKLED (WRI).