• In-vitro lung on a chip system used to test pharmacological intervention of fibrotic diseases. Allows evaluation of matrix composition and stiffness driven fibrotic progression, and reversal using therapeutic intervention.
• First group to decellularize, solubilize, and conjugate matrix from healthy and diseased patient tissues to the tunable hydrogels
• Accurately mimics the tissue microenvironment, i.e., what the cells in the tissue actually sense
• Can very accurately reflect both the healthy and the diseased condition
• Large range of healthy or diseased tissues: lung fibrosis, cirrhosis, heart fibrosis, scleroderma, COPD, emphysema.
• Innovator: Anjelica Gonzalez, Ph.D.

The model can reproduce all stages of a disease from healthy to strongly fibrotic by modifying the stiffness of the substrate.