The interaction between the immune system and the environment is believed to be the driving force behind most inflammatory and auto-inflammatory diseases. In a new project funded by the Norwegian research council we will model this inflammatory process in the bile ducts using an organ-on-a-chip (OoC) system with a specific focus on unconventional T-cells represented by mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) and natural killer T (NKT) cells. Inflammation in the bile ducts is the hallmark for two important inflammatory conditions affecting the bile ducts, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). In the project we will join forces from the field of bile duct immunology, development biology and stem cells aiming to use OoC systems to understand bile duct immunology. The project will be a collaboration between the Norwegian PSC research center / Research Institute of Internal Medicine at Oslo University Hospital and the hybrid technology hub (HTH).
