Dr. Abigail Koppes-
Principal Investigator

Microphysiological Systems

ABNEL has developed a laser cut and assemble microphysiological system (MPS), or organ-on-chip device, of the gut and the heart 1,2. MPSs allow for physiologically relevant modeling of organ systems and diseases with limited confounding factors present. This methodology is a more cost effective and manufacturable option compared to the current standard of PDMS soft lithography.

Ongoing research aims to develop an MPS of gut and enteric nervous system (ENS) physiology to further study the gut-brain connection. ABNEL also aims to develop MPSs of various neural disorders that have an expected connection to the gut including Parkinson’s, visceral pain, depression, and anxiety. The study of parasympathetic and sympathetic innervation in cardiac tissue is also being explored through the use of our cut and assemble MPSs. Electrophysiological techniques, such as transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and microelectrode arrays (MEA), are frequently utilized to study endothelial barrier function and neuronal action potentials, respectively.

Recent publication:

Sanjin Hosic, Adam Bindas, Marissa L. Puzan, Will Lake, Jonathan Soucy, Fanny Zhou, Ryan A. Koppes, David T. Breault, Shashi K. Murthy, Abigail N. Koppes. Rapid prototyping of multilayer microphysiological systems. May 2020. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c00190

Recent reviews:

Kyla Nichols, Ryan Koppes, Abigail Koppes. Recent advancements in microphysiological systems for neural development and disease. May 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobme.2020.05.003

Jonathan R. Soucy, Adam J. Bindas, Abigail N. Koppes, and Ryan A. Koppes. Instrumented Microphysiological Systems for Real-time Measurement and Manipulation of Cellular Electrochemical Processes. Oct 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2019.10.052

Cited Papers:

1 Hosic, S. et al. Rapid prototyping of multilayer microphysiological systems. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering (2020).

2 Soucy, J. R. et al. Organ-on-chip Model for Investigating Autonomic Innervation of the Cardiac Microenvironment. Circulation Research 125, A421-A421 (2019).

Tori Duback Becomes a PhD Candidate

Congratulations to Tori Duback, ABNEL's industry graduate student from Sana Biotechnology, on passing her thesis proposal! Tori joined ABNEL back in the fall of 2022, and despite having her thesis topic changed part way into the program, she's still managed to stay on...

Dr. Ryan Koppes Presents at FluidicMEMS Meetup

Dr. Ryan Allen Koppes presented his lab's work at the FluidicMEMS Meetup this past Thursday. This event (held in the Samberg Center at MIT) was organized by FluidicMEMS, a dynamic community focused on bringing together individuals with a passion for microfluidics and...