Co-culture Models and Air-Liquid Interface (ALI) Techniques
The design of the porous cell culture insert is uniquely suited for developing complex co-culture models and Air-Liquid Interface (ALI) techniques. For co-culture, different cell types can be grown on either side of the permeable membrane (e.g., epithelial cells on top and fibroblasts on the bottom), facilitating paracrine signaling and direct cell-to-cell interaction across the pores, which is essential for modeling complex tissue biology.
The Air-Liquid Interface (ALI) technique is particularly transformative for respiratory tissue models. Cells like bronchial or alveolar epithelial cells are seeded onto the membrane and, once confluent, the medium is removed from the apical compartment while the basolateral compartment remains nourished. This exposure to air promotes terminal differentiation and the formation of functional structures, such as cilia and mucus production, that are characteristic of the native airway. These ALI models, enabled by the porous support, provide unparalleled physiological relevance for studying lung diseases, viral infection, and the effects of inhaled compounds.