iFIBROCHIP
Field: Biotechnology | Drug Development
Challenge:
Intestinal fibrosis is one of the most serious complications of Crohn’s disease, affecting up to 50% of patients and often resulting in bowel strictures that require surgical intervention. Despite its high prevalence and substantial clinical burden, there are currently no approved therapies that specifically target fibrotic tissue remodeling. Progress in anti-fibrotic drug development is further hindered by the lack of physiologically relevant experimental models that accurately reproduce the complex cellular interactions and dynamic microenvironment of the human intestine. Existing in vitro systems often fail to capture the multicellular architecture and biological complexity required for effective disease modeling and therapeutic evaluation.
Intestinal fibrosis is associated with tissue stiffening, progressive loss of intestinal function, and a significant deterioration in patients’ quality of life. The absence of reliable and predictive experimental models represents a major barrier to understanding disease mechanisms and evaluating potential therapeutic interventions. Addressing this unmet clinical need requires advanced in vitro systems capable of reproducing tissue architecture, cellular communication, and the dynamic conditions present in the human intestine.
The iFIBROCHIP project addresses this challenge through the development of a novel modular microfluidic platform designed for advanced 3D co-culture of human iPSC-derived intestinal epithelial, endothelial, and mesenchymal cells under fibrotic conditions. By enabling controlled and reproducible modelling of intestinal fibrosis, the technology supports research into disease mechanisms and may accelerate the development of future anti-fibrotic therapies for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Tech overview:
The “Intestinal Fibrosis on Chip” (iFIBROCHIP) project is developing a novel modular microfluidic chamber for the advanced 3D co-culture of human iPSC-derived intestinal epithelial, endothelial, and mesenchymal cells under fibrotic conditions. The system is designed to simulate tissue architecture, cellular communication, and mechanical flow, thereby mimicking key features of the human gut microenvironment. By enabling controlled and reproducible in vitro modeling of intestinal fibrosis, iFIBROCHIP provides a physiologically relevant platform for investigating disease mechanisms and cellular interactions involved in fibrotic tissue remodeling. The technology also has the potential to support the screening and validation of novel anti-fibrotic compounds, accelerating the development of future therapies for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
The platform addresses a major unmet clinical need in Crohn’s disease, where intestinal fibrosis affects up to 50% of patients and frequently leads to bowel strictures requiring surgical intervention. Existing experimental models often fail to reproduce the complex multicellular interactions and dynamic microenvironment associated with intestinal fibrosis. The modular design of iFIBROCHIP enables spatial separation and controlled interaction of multiple cell types under physiologically relevant conditions, providing a unique disease-specific platform for advanced fibrosis research and preclinical therapeutic development.
Benefits:
In general, the key advantages of the iFIBROCHIP platform compared to conventional in vitro models are:
- First microfluidic platform engineered specifically for intestinal fibrosis
- Disease-specific focus addressing a major unmet need in Crohn's disease research
- Spatial separation and dynamic interaction between different cell types
- Human-relevant experimental conditions for more predictive disease modeling
- High physiological relevance compared to conventional cell culture systems
- Advanced 3D co-culture of human iPSC-derived intestinal epithelial, endothelial, and mesenchymal cells
- Simulation of tissue architecture, cellular communication, and mechanical flow within a single platform
- Controlled and reproducible modelling of fibrotic intestinal microenvironments
- Improved capability to study fibrosis mechanisms and fibrotic tissue remodelling
- Suitable for screening and validation of novel anti-fibrotic compounds
Applications:
- Advanced in vitro tool for modeling intestinal fibrosis
- Investigation of cellular interactions and fibrotic mechanisms in a relevant environment
- Drug development and preclinical research
- Screening of novel anti-fibrotic compounds
- Validation of anti-fibrotic drug candidates
Commercial opportunity:
- Seeking Industry Partner
- Seeking Research Collaboration
IP protection status:
Know-how (protected as confidential information)