An iPSC-derived small intestine-on-chip with self-organizing epithelial, mesenchymal and neural cells

Abstract

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived intestinal organoids are valuable tools for researching developmental biology and personalized therapies, but their closed topology and relative immature state limits their applications. Here we use organ-on-chip technology to develop a hiPSC-derived intestinal barrier with apical and basolateral access in a more physiological in vitro microenvironment. To replicate growth factor gradients along the crypt- villus axis, we locally exposed the cells to expansion and differentiation media. In these conditions, intestinal epithelial cells self-organize into villus-like folds with physiological barrier integrity and myofibroblast and neural subtypes emerge and form a layer in the bottom channel underneath the epithelial tissue. The growth factor gradients efficiently balance dividing and mature cell types and induce an intestinal epithelial composition, including absorptive and secretory lineages, resembling the composition of the human adult small intestine. The result is a well-characterized hiPSC-derived intestine-on-chip system that can facilitate personalized studies on physiological processes and therapy development in the human small intestine.