Summary
Studying the gut microbiota in living subjects is hampered by the difficulty of reaching the gut, the near-impossibility of continuous monitoring, and ethical constraints on animal work. This study presents a three-dimensional in vitro model in which the microbial community grows on an electrospun scaffold - accessible, observable, and reproducible. Being able to watch how microbes interact with each other and with the host environment, rather than inferring it from stool samples, is what such a platform makes possible.
Authors & Affiliations
Linari Electrospinning Systems
Linari Engineering electrospinning system
The scaffolds were spun for one hour on a Linari Engineering system at 30 kV, with a feed rate of 1.2 ml/h and a needle-to-collector distance of 10 cm - the same parameters this group used in their subsequent work on microbiota adhesion. See our range of systems.