Figure 4.

Examples of advanced technology integrated in vitro models of the lung showing A) mechanical actuation, B) complex microfluidic airway design, C) compartmentalization of lung components and infectious agents and D) advanced electronic monitoring of ALI culture. A) Compartmentalized PDMS microchannels form the alveolar‐capillary barrier. The device recreates physiological breathing movements by applying vacuum to the side chambers and causing mechanical stretching of the PDMS membrane. Reproduced with permission.^{[ 171 ]} Copyright 2010, AAAS. B) Anatomically inspired microfluidic acini‐on‐chip featuring an asymmetrical bipurification model of distal airways (blue arrows) and air‐ducts (red arrows). Reproduced with permission.^{[ 177 ]} Copyright 2019, Wiley. C) A microbial culture insert is inoculated with A. fumigatus on the left and P. aeruginosa on the right, facilitating volatile factor contact between the microbial cultures and air‐exposed center lumens lined with bronchiolar epithelial cells. Scale bar is 250 µm. Reproduced with permission.^{[ 168 ]} Copyright 2017, Nature Publishing Group. D) Effect of E Cigarette Emissions on Tracheal cells monitored at ALI using an organic electrochemical transistor. Integration of an ALI airway epithelium model into a flexible gate‐OECT platform for ALI resistance sensing, which conforms to the cell secreted mucus. Reproduced with permission.^{[ 178 ]} Copyright 2019, Wiley.