into how female reproductive organs communicate with each other and the liver via the endocrine system.
The project was first funded in 2012 by a National Institutes of Health grant that aimed to spur development of experimental hardware, and now researchers at Northwestern University, Chicago, headed by Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD, have bioengineered a 3-D model of the female reproductive tract and the liver using living cells and tissues. The resulting model is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
“Cells in aggregate organs are in constant communication with each other and the conversation is provided by the endocrine system. This is a completely new era in biology helping us illuminate disease systems we could not otherwise, such as polycystic ovary disease [PCOS],” said Dr. Woodruff, who is the Thomas J. Watkins Memorial professor of obstetrics and gynecology, the vice chair of research for the department of obstetrics and gynecology, and the chief of the division of reproductive science and medicine at Northwestern University.
Until the development of EVATAR, there was no good animal or other model of female reproductive diseases, such as cancer, PCOS, and infertility.
The EVATAR 3-D system is composed of plastic cubes, each representing the target organs of the female reproductive tract. The tissue lining each cube is assembled from multiple cell lineages to create individual follicles that enclose and support oocytes, oviductal/fallopian tubes, uterine myometrium and endometrium, the cervix, and the vagina. The cubes are then connected with tiny tubes, so that the fluid representing human blood and the hormones contained therein can flow between each of the cube compartments.
The EVATAR also contains cells from the liver. Using this system, researchers can study the effects of drugs on the female reproductive system and examine the drug metabolites in the liver.
Variations on EVATAR currently in development include 3-D models of the male reproductive system, dubbed “Guy in a Cube,” she quipped.