An NIH-funded team developed a bone-marrow-on-a-chip system designed to show how antibody-producing plasma cells migrate, mature and persist in human-like tissue environments.
The platform combines a lymph-node-like organoid with a microfluidic bone-marrow model. Researchers say it allows them to observe stages of plasma-cell development that are difficult to study directly in people.
The system could be used to investigate immune memory and test approaches related to infection, allergy, autoimmune disease and blood cancers.