Transformative Technologies - Development of Novel Three-dimensional Co-culture Models of Bacterial Host-pathogen Interactions

细菌病原体已经进化出一系列不同的策略来感染、生存和在宿主内复制。研究这些宿主-病原体的相互作用有助于我们了解其发病机制和哺乳动物细胞对外来入侵的反应。然而，我们在机械水平上剖析宿主-病原体关系的能力受到了对模型系统的需要的阻碍，该模型系统将允许我们操纵这一等式的两边。体内模型的使用限制了我们在感染期间改变宿主条件的能力。此外，我们有道德上的责任，通过开发新技术来减少用于研究的动物数量。相比之下，使用单细胞类型的体外模型提供了一个高度可塑性的系统，适合于机械学研究，但往往无法准确表示能够诱导免疫反应的生命系统的复杂性。

Bacterial pathogens have evolved a diverse range of strategies to infect, survive, and replicate within a host. Investigating these host-pathogen interactions can help us to understand both the mechanisms of pathogenesis and the responses of mammalian cells to foreign invaders. However, our ability to dissect the host-pathogen relationship at a mechanistic level is hindered by a need for model systems that will allow us to manipulate both sides of this equation. The use of in vivo models limits our ability to alter host conditions during an infection. Moreover, we have a moral imperative to reduce the number of animals used for research by developing new technologies. In contrast, in vitro models utilizing a single cell type provide a highly malleable system that is appropriate for mechanistic studies, but often fail to accurately represent the complexities of a living system capable of inducing an immune response.