Akciğer organoidleri işleyen yerel bağışıklık sistemini koruyor

Researchers supported by the US National Institutes of Health have created human lung organoids that retain a functioning local immune system. They placed intact distal lung fragments from more than 220 volunteers in a three-dimensional air-liquid culture that mimics gas exchange and can remain viable for months. Important immune-cell populations survived, including tissue-resident T cells that preserved their ability to recognise viruses. When the organoids were infected with SARS-CoV-2, they produced both general inflammation and an adaptive response directed specifically at the virus. The team then exposed some organoids to viral fragments before infection, imitating a booster. Their immune cells responded more effectively later, reducing the severity of subsequent infections. Because the model allows scientists to study lung-tissue immunity separately from the rest of the body, it may clarify how local protection works and provide a platform for testing mucosal vaccines. It could also support research into asthma, bacterial infections and other pulmonary diseases.