New ISAB publication: Cell culturing tech could replace animals in inhaled toxicology tests

A new publication from ISAB and partners has radical implications for the future of toxicology testing, airborne pollution research and IVIVC (In Vitro In Vivo Collaboration) the early stage, animal-free testing method that scientists have been searching to realize for years. Popular science blogger the Humane Scientist said: “This is good evidence for what could become a much needed replacement to animals in inhalation toxicity/testing.”

Written by scientists from Inhalation Sciences AB, Karolinska Institutet and the Bionanotechnology Unit of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, the paper shows how ISAB’s cell simulation model, XposeALI, could be used to replace animals in toxic air pollutant tests.

ISAB in vitro manager Maria Malmlöf: “The XposeALI cell model is as close as you can come to an in vitro method that really reflects how it looks in the human airways. In the future it could be used to test any airborne pollutant, getting accurate, life-like results without any test animals being used.”

The Paper is part of a three-year, ongoing study into the effects of breathing in potentially toxic nanoparticles, headed by Associate Professor at KI’s Institute of Environmental Medicine, Lena Palmberg. She said: “Nanoparticles present both medical and environmental dangers. And they are everywhere. We are confident that XposeALI will play an even greater role in cell culturing research in the future. You can save a lot of animals, get great precision and run it from aerosol exposures.”

A detail of the prototype XposeALI

In the project, XposeALI tested nanoparticles of the pollutant Palladium. ISAB CSO and inventor of XposeALI, Per Gerde: “It’s great to finally have this Paper out there. A project this innovative will generate many, many more. It’s been a long, challenging process! We’ve continuously modified XposeALI, from its early prototype, based on the team’s experiences, and delivered new versions as we’ve gone along. Lena Palmberg and her team have now presented a whole new cultured airway and epithelium model of the lung to the world. It’s really advanced, and being scrutinized very carefully by everyone. For us too, meeting the challenge of delivering respirable nanoparticle Palladium particles has been exciting. Successfully aerosolizing nanoparticles of this sophistication really flags up the maturity and capabilities of PreciseInhale.”

READ MORE:

Read the Paper here: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0170428

Read about the development of XposeALI here: http://inhalation.mkdev.se/lab-blog/xposeali-new-control-system/

Read about Karolinska Institute’s nanoparticle project here: http://inhalation.mkdev.se/karolinska-institutet-purchases-preciseinhale-plus-in-vitro-cell-culturing-module-xposeali-for-ground-breaking-nanoparticle-research/

Read an interview with project leader Lena Palmberg here: http://inhalation.mkdev.se/in-vitro-cell-exposure-module-in-karolinska-institutet-research/