Employees at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University have developed the world's first "vagina-on-a-chip"
According to Harvard University,“vagina-on-a-chip” consists of human vaginal epithelium and connective tissue cells. In addition, it repeats many of the physiological features of the organ. The peculiarity of the development is that various strains of bacteria can be introduced into the “vagina-on-a-chip”. This way, researchers will be able to study their effect on organ health.
“The vaginal microbiome plays an important rolein regulating the health of the organ and its diseases. In addition, it has a great impact on prenatal health. Our “vagina-on-a-chip” will speed up the development of potential probiotic treatments,” explains Gautam Mahajan, first author of the study.
Vagina on a chip. Photo: Wyss Institute, Harvard University
A new organ-on-a-chip has been developed with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to treat vaginal microbiome disorders caused by bacterial vaginosis (BV).
The organization hopes to create a biotherapeutictreatment for BV and conduct clinical trials in humans to reduce its many negative side effects. These include reproductive tract infections, prenatal complications and infant mortality, especially in countries where women have limited access to modern medicine.
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On the cover: a schematic representation of the female reproductive system