A perspective towards building scalable, integrated, multicellular in vitro airway models with inverted airway-on-a-tube

Key Points

• The aim is to construct a more physiologically relevant in vitro airway model for respiratory disease research.
• Introduced the inverted airway-on-a-tube model based on existing research.
• Utilized supporting hydrogel materials to simulate vascular conditions and airway epithelial cell growth.
• Incorporated fibroblasts and other stromal cells to mimic the airway microenvironment.
• Successfully created a hollow tube structure that enhances epithelial cell differentiation.
• Provided a feasible set-up for aerosol exposure experiments under realistic respiratory conditions.
• Demonstrated potential advantages for basic research and drug development in respiratory diseases.