‘No more animal testing’: Scientists in Zlín developing lab model of the human small intestine
Scientists from the Faculty of Technology and the Centre of Polymer Systems at Tomas Bata University in Zlín are developing an advanced model of the human small intestine. The main goal behind this effort is to replace animal testing in developing new drugs.
In cooperation with the Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, researchers in Zlin aim to create laboratory-grown tissue that closely mimics the real small intestine and could help drug development and research into intestinal diseases without the need for animal testing.
Petr Humpolíček is head of the research team.
“When you want to test medicines today, you basically have two options. Either you test on animals, or you try to avoid it, which is the goal of virtually the entire scientific community,” he says.
According to Humpolíček, many human tissues can already be produced with such precision that animal testing is no longer necessary.
“Tests on eye tissue or lung mucosa no longer have to be carried out on animals; researchers can use an in vitro model instead. Intestinal tissue, however, is significantly more complex than other tissues or mucous membranes, which is why researchers have been using animals. Our primary goal is to make the model as real as possible and technologically simple enough so that researchers can easily make it themselves in their own laboratories.”
To make the model as realistic as possible, scientists first need to create an environment based on a simplified gel structure made from various biopolymers. This involves fairly demanding chemistry and the gel has to be structured to mimic the internal structure of the intestine.
Researchers produce special moulds using 3D printers, which are used to imprint microscopic protrusions and indentations into the gel to replicate the intestine’s inner architecture.
The next step is to combine basic tissue structure with immune cells as well as microorganisms commonly found in the gut.
“Once the gel is ready, we can insert human cells into it, add immune cells, and because we want it to be as realistic as possible, we also want to include a microbial population, commonly referred to as the microbiome. The goal is to create a system that faithfully reproduces the behaviour of intestinal tissue under various conditions during scientific experiments. This ranges from understanding how substances are absorbed in the intestine, through studying drugs that pass through the intestinal wall, to research into diseases affecting the intestine,” Humpolíček says.
The project has received 11 million crowns in funding from the Czech Science Foundation, and the completed model of the human small intestine is expected to be presented at the end of 2027.
