3D bio-printing model tissues for targeted discovery in the agri-tech sector

设计多尺度生物杂交组织作为昆虫肠道渗透性模型：增加农业产量将是确保21世纪全球粮食安全的关键。杀虫剂等农用化学品是帮助实现这一目标的主要工具，它可以最大限度地减少各种害虫对农作物的损失。因此，设计下一代农用化学品，能够选择性地对特定害虫发挥作用，同时将对传粉者和其他有益物种的影响降至最低，是非常有意义的。限制此类分子和制剂发展的主要障碍之一是缺乏易于访问的模型系统来模拟关键的渗透性屏障：昆虫肠道。我们建议将模型膜工程、3D生物打印和快速原型技术相结合来构建一系列复杂程度不同的渗透性模型，从以用户定义的配置组装的简单脂质双层到包含昆虫肠道细胞系的3D生物打印结构的构建。这将使我们能够在最终引入基于蛋白质的主动转运过程之前，将杀虫剂-膜相互作用从更高阶效应中分离出来，例如肠道形态的作用。通过测试杀虫剂和配方助剂在这些模型体系中的渗透行为，我们将更好地了解不同化合物类别的关键传输特性和机理，为下一代杀虫剂的开发和配方设计提供新的见解。

Engineering Multiscale Biohybrid Tissues as Insect Gut Permeability Models: Increased agricultural output will be essential for ensuring global food security in the 21st century. Agrochemicals such as insecticides are a major tool that helps achieve this aim by minimising the loss of crops to various pests. The design of next generation agrochemicals that can selectively function against specific pests whilst minimising effects in pollinators and other beneficial species is therefore of significant interest. One of the main roadblocks limiting the development of such molecules and formulations is the lack of easily accessible model systems that mimic a key permeability barrier: the insect gut. We propose to combine model membrane engineering, 3D bioprinting and rapid prototyping to build a series of permeability models that vary in complexity, from simple lipid bilayers assembled in user-defined configurations to the construction of 3D bioprinted architectures containing insect gut cell lines. This will allow us to decouple insecticide - membrane interactions from higher order effects, such as the role of gut morphology, before finally introducing protein-based active transport processes. By testing the permeation behaviour of insecticides and formulation adjuvants across these model systems, we will gain an improved understanding of the key transport properties and mechanisms of different compound classes, providing new insights into next generation insecticide development and formulation design.