The physiological relevance of intestinal permeability models depends not only on epithelial architecture and cellular composition but also on the dynamic conditions experienced at the intestinal barrier. Conventional 2D models, while widely used in ADME screening, provide a simplified representation of intestinal tissue and may fail to fully capture the structural and dynamic factors influencing drug transport.
In this webinar, Sofia Dias will present an advanced 3D multicellular intestinal model incorporating epithelial cells, fibroblasts embedded in a hydrogel to mimic the lamina propria, and a basolateral endothelial layer, and compare its permeability characteristics with those of a conventional 2D Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-culture. The study evaluates static versus dynamic basolateral conditions using the PDMS-free MIVO® millifluidic platform to replicate capillary-like fluid dynamics. The permeability of metoprolol, atenolol, and colchicine was analyzed alongside TEER measurements to assess changes in barrier integrity under dynamic flow.
The results demonstrate how the integration of 3D multicellular architecture and capillary-like flow modulates intestinal drug transport and barrier response. These findings highlight the necessity of incorporating both structural and dynamic parameters into advanced in vitro models for more accurate drug permeability assessment and ADME studies.
About the Speakers
Sofia Dias is a PhD student in Biomedical Sciences at ICBAS-University of Porto and is a member of the Nanomedicines & Translational Drug Delivery group at i3S, under the supervision of Dr. Bruno Sarmento and Dr. Catarina Leite Pereira. Her research focuses on developing advanced 3D in vitro models of colorectal cancer, including dynamic-flow models designed to better reproduce the intestinal physiological conditions. Her work aims to support the development and preclinical evaluation of new therapeutic approaches, with a particular interest in drug delivery and nanomedicine.