2024 Volume 38 Issue 4 Pages 219-228
Intestinal epithelial cells face an aerobic environment on their basal side, while their apical side is exposed to an anaerobic environment, where a diverse range of obligate anaerobic microbes dwell and establish a symbiotic relationship with the host. To reconstruct the complex intestinal ecosystem and understand the molecular basis underlying the crosstalk between gut microbes and the host, it is necessary to develop a device that can reproduce these two different oxygen concentration environments experienced by intestinal epithelial cells. I have collaborated with two companies to jointly develop such a device. In this review article, I briefly introduce the development process of this apical anaerobic cultivation device, and highlight some of the results obtained using the prototype and manufactured devices to discuss their effectiveness as research tools.
