Respiratory system is a biological system composed of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The human body's gas exchange organ, the lung, is located in the chest cavity, and its fragile tissues are protected by the skeletal and muscular thoracic cavity. The lungs provide a continuous supply of oxygen to human tissues and remove carbon dioxide which is a gaseous waste in the blood. The air in the atmosphere regularly enters and exits through a system of ducts called conductive airways, which connect the gas exchange area with the outside of the body. The airway can be divided into the upper respiratory tract and lower respiratory system. The transition between the two systems is at the intersection of the respiratory and digestive systems, just at the top of the larynx.
Fig.1 The respiratory system.
Respiratory diseases can be caused by infection, smoking or inhalation of second-hand tobacco smoke, radon, asbestos or other forms of air pollution. The following table shows the common respiratory diseases and their causes or symptoms.
| Diseases | Causes or Symptoms |
|---|---|
| Asthma | The patient's airway became narrow and mucus was too much. |
| Bronchiectasis | Inflammation and infection thicken the patient's bronchial walls. |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) | Including bronchitis and emphysema. This long-term situation will get worse over time. |
| Pneumonia | Infection can cause inflammation of the alveoli. They may be filled with fluid or pus. |
| Tuberculosis | It is a kind of bacteria that causes this dangerous infection. It usually affects the patient's lungs, but may also involve the kidneys, spine, or brain. |
| Lung cancer | The cells in the patient's lungs will change and grow into tumors. This is usually because patients have inhaled smoking or other chemicals. |
| Cystic fibrosis | This disease is caused by the patient's genetic problems and will get worse over time. It can cause lung infection, but it will not go away. |
| Pleural effusion | Excess fluid accumulates between the tissues of the patient's lungs and chest. |
| Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis | The patient's lung tissue will be scarred and cannot function properly. |
| Sarcoidosis | Small clusters of inflammatory cells called granulomas usually form in the lungs and lymph nodes of patients. |
Respiratory diseases are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. As the aged population prevails, the incidence of these diseases is also increasing. Many lung diseases can only be treated by symptomatic relief and cannot be cured, indicating that new treatment strategies are urgently needed. In the era when we are moving towards precision medicine, the use of patient-specific induced pluripotent cells (iPSC) to generate models (lack of sufficient primary cells and tissues) has increased our ability to understand the pathophysiology of human lungs, and also proposes new strategies for disease treatment.
Several different iPSC-derived cells have been developed for the treatment of lung diseases, including:
The differentiated cells were strongly positive for alveolar epithelial progenitor markers including NKX2.1 (also known as thyroid transcription factor), epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EPCAM), and carboxypeptidase M (CPM). The cells also expressed the mature type 2 AEC (AEC2) markers such as surfactant protein (SP) B and C. iPSC-derived ACEs provide new opportunities for understanding lung development and the treatment for acute and chronic pulmonary diseases.
The derive cells expressing CC10, SPC and SPA. iPSC-derived AT2 may form a population in tissue-engineered lungs, providing a source of cells for drug testing, or serve as a model for studying lung diseases.
Current protocols attempt to recapitulate the same developmental pathways that occur in vitro to differentiate the stem cells to human respiratory cells.
The current research protocol attempts to recapitulate the same developmental pathway that differentiates stem cells into human respiratory cells in vitro. Creative Biolabs' iPSC technology can provide customized services according to your needs. If you are interested, please contact us for consultation.
For Research Use Only. Not For Clinical Use.
