News Excerpt: 

IISc Scientists developed a novel 3D hydrogel culture system that closely mimics the human lung.

More about the model:

• The new hydrogel culture is composed of collagen, a key component of lung tissue.
• The 3D environment allows researchers to observe how TB bacteria interact with human immune cells over extended periods up to three weeks compared to just 4-7 days in conventional systems.

Significance of the new model:

• RNA sequencing revealed that cells grown in the hydrogel more closely resemble actual human lung tissue samples than those in traditional cultures.
• It addresses the limitations of traditional 2D culture models.
  • The older models fail to replicate the complex 3D structure of lung tissue, potentially skewing research results.
• This increased biological accuracy could lead to more relevant research outcomes. The team also demonstrated the model's potential for drug testing.
• This provides a platform to track and study how tuberculosis bacteria infect lung cells and test the efficacy of therapeutics used to treat the infection.

New findings based on the 3D model:

• It has been found that a common TB drug, pyrazinamide, was effective at much lower, more clinically relevant doses than typically required in 2D cultures.

Future scope:

• The researchers have filed an Indian patent for their innovation, which they designed to be easily replicable by other scientists and scalable for industrial drug testing.
• This breakthrough can expedite further research on TB and potentially, lead to more effective treatment. 
• The team is also interested in understanding the mechanism of the action of pyrazinamide, which may help discover new drugs that are more or just as efficient.