Figure 1.

Patient-derived human Colon Chip. (A) H&E-stained histologic sections (6 μm) of human colon in vivo. Colon tissue with intact epithelium, lamina propria, muscularis mucosa, and submucosa. Scale bar: 100 μm (left). Dissociated epithelium including lamina propria. Scale bar: 100 μm (middle). Smear of a 2-day colon organoid in Matrigel culture. Scale bar: 20 μm (right). Arrows indicate mitotically active epithelial cells. (B) Primary human colonic epithelium in Matrigel culture. Colonic crypts embedded in Matrigel after isolation from human colon resection (left). Shortening of crypt structure embedded in Matrigel 1 day after isolation (middle). Closed colonic crypts (colon organoids) in Matrigel culture 7 days after isolation (right). Scale bars: 200 μm. (C) Phase-contrast images of the preparation of primary human colonic epithelial cells for seeding on the Chip starting with colon organoids that are fragmented before seeding on the chip. Scale bars: 200 μm. (D) Photograph (left) and schematic cross-sectional view (right) of the primary human Colon Chip microfluidic device with the colonic epithelium cultured in the top channel on the upper surface of the porous membrane that separates it from the lower channel.