# Developing Trachea-on-a-chip to Study Particle Mucociliary Transport in Airways

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2022 · $214,583

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Mucociliary transport (MCT) of inhaled particles and bacteria is extremely important to maintain lung sterility. In
trachea and bronchi, MCT is driven by breakage of mucus strands that emerge from submucosal glands
through cilia beating. Discovery and development of better methods to investigate particle MCT has profound
impacts on the study of lung disease pathogenesis and exploration of new therapeutic methods. Because of its
importance, tremendous efforts have been made to access particle MCT, including inhalation of radioactive
micro-disks in human/animal models, application of particles on airway epithelial cell cultures, and explanted
trachea tissues. However, current methods fall short in recapitulating the biophysical/biochemical airway
environment, including submucosal glands, and providing necessary resolution in studying MCT of natural
inhaled-like particles. To address the unmet need, our overall objective is to develop a trachea-on-a-chip to
study MCT of micro/nano-sized particles in precisely controlled airway environments. Our preliminary studies
demonstrate the implementation of a microfluidic device with an explanted trachea to maintain airway
physiology and function, named “trachea-on-a-chip”. In the proposed research, we aim to assess particle MCT
on a non-submerged airway surface with trachea-on-a-chip (Aim 1), and control airway physical/chemical
environment to impact particle MCT with trachea-on-a-chip (Aim 2). Upon completion of the proposed project,
we expect three outcomes. First, we will deliver a novel trachea-on-a-chip technical platform to study airway
particle MCT. Second, we will answer questions as to how the airway environment impacts the efficiency of
MCT with trachea-on-a-chip. Third, the knowledge obtained in this project will be broadly applied to other lung
diseases, which will be used for future R01 applications. In addition to research, the proposed project will
further help the candidate to build a unique and vibrant research program on the cutting edge of engineering
and medicine.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10524984
- **Project number:** 1R21HL161499-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** Yuliang Xie
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $214,583
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10524984

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10524984, Developing Trachea-on-a-chip to Study Particle Mucociliary Transport in Airways (1R21HL161499-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10524984. Licensed CC0.

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