In Vitro Modeling Systems of Respiratory Illnesses and Diseases

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Olga Tura-Ceide

University of Girona, Spain

Dr. Tura-Ceide is a researcher Miguel Servet type with a consolidated research experience for over 15 years in the field of angiogenesis, endothelial dysfunction and stem cells in pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. Dr. Tura-Ceide did her PhD in stem cell biology by the University of Edinburgh, UK (2007). Her postdoctoral training continued at the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Edinburgh, focused on the identification of the origin of endothelial stem cells and to assess its regenerative potential using induced pluripotent stem cells. In 2013, Dr. Tura-Ceide received a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship and moved to the Biomedical Research Institute, IDIBAPS, Barcelona with the aim of applying in the field of respiratory diseases, the knowledge and skills gathered in endothelial cell biology. Since then, her line of research has obtained continued funding through several competitive national and international calls. Dr. Tura-Ceide has experience over 11 years working abroad and a total of 37 publications in the field of cardiopulmonary diseases, and a patent on the discovery of a new polymer which specifically promoted both endothelial stem cell growth. She has directed four PhD theses, plus currently directing two more, and over ten master and/or bachelor thesis. Dr. Tura-Ceide has participated in numerous international and national conferences, has active collaborations internationally and within Spain and is an evaluator/reviewer of several national or international committees. Since 2017, Dr. Tura-Ceide, is an associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Girona, Spain and professor in three international master degrees at the University of Barcelona, UB.

Robert Szulcek

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Dr. Robert Szulcek is Professor of Physiology in the department of Physiology at the Charitè - Universitätsmedizin in Berlin (Germany). He is a trained biomedical engineer that specialized in vascular cell biology and translational research during his PhD at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and post-doctoral fellowships at Harvard Medical School in Boston (USA) and the University Medical Center in Leiden (the Netherlands). His group develops functional in vitro disease models that simulate certain aspects of the complex cell micro-environment of the pulmonary vasculature. These models are designed to identify molecular, structural, and functional abnormalities in primary pulmonary vascular cells from patients with respiratory diseases. His research focuses on pulmonary hypertension (PH) a multi-faceted and highly heterogeneous disease condition clinically defined by an increased mean pulmonary artery pressure. In multiple translational research projects, responses of the pulmonary vascular endothelium to biomechanical, biophysical, and biochemical stimulation as well as cell-matrix and cell-blood interactions are being investigated. The aim is to identify specific cellular dysfunctions and miss-adaptations that can help to advance diagnosis, treatment, and therapy monitoring.

Collection Overview

The lung is the primary organ, in humans and many animals, that guarantees efficient gas exchange with the ambient air. To perform its highly specialized function, the lung features a specific cellular and structural build-up, possesses special biomechanical and biophysical properties, and is highly vascularized. When lung function is compromised, the consequences can be fatal.

The diversity and often multifactorial nature of lung diseases, the frequently unspecific symptoms, and limitations to medical imaging present current research with many challenges. A major part of our knowledge has been derived from animal models. However, significant differences exist in lung development and physiology between different species. In consequence, results are difficult to translate to patients. Thus, there is an unmet need for in vitro human lung models.

With this methods collection, we aim to minimize the translational gap between animals and humans by facilitating the use of in vitro pulmonary disease models by a wide audience. We are seeking tools and techniques that enable the development and testing of new strategies for diagnosis; to explore pathological mechanisms; to test drugs, treatments, and guide therapy. We accept manuscripts from a variety of fields and topics that include, but are not limited to, protocols for lung-on-a-chip systems; tissue engineering and tissue printing; primary human cell isolations; human pluripotent stem cell derived lung tissue generation; culture and co-culture models; and methods that allow exploration of lung structure and composition, such as decellularization and imaging protocols.