Thesis defense of Marie MONCHABLON- December 19th, 2023

Marie MONCHABLON will defend her thesis on December 19, 2023 at 9:30 a.m., (amphi G – ENSEIRB-MATMECA) on the subject :”Design of a multi-analysis and real time multi-organ-on-a-chip in the context of bloodsugar regulation and type 2 diabetes”.

Over the past 4 decades, an intermediate model between the traditional in vivo and in vitro approaches has emerged: the MicroPhysiological Systems (MPS). MPS are designed to recapitulate different levels of human physiology, from the single organ to organs crosstalk. They upgrade the culture environment by patterning microstructures hosting 3D and multicellular architecture models and integrate microsensors monitoring cell activity and environment.
This new investigation tool is of interest in fundamental research on diseases such as diabetes. In this incurable disease, blood glucose regulation, resulting from a complex organs interplay between the pancreatic islets, the liver, the adipocytes and the muscles, is impaired. A Multi-Organ-on-a-Chip (MOoC) is a MPS that can recapitulate these organs crosstalk and represents a relevant model for diabetes research. In the context of diabetes, MOoCs reproducing the islets to skeletal muscles communication do not exist so far, despite the importance of the skeletal muscles impact on blood glucose, under islets action.
In this thesis, we propose a methodology to design a MOoC deciphering islets to muscles interactions in blood glucose regulation. The MOoC objectives were to: (i) attain physiological insulin concentration secreted by islets in response to physiological glucose elevation, (ii) that induces a measurable glucose uptake by the muscle cells, (iii) monitor online relevant parameters. To that end, the investigations were conducted with an interdisciplinary approach, using and confronting results from both in vitro biological experiments and in silico modelling of biology and physics.
This manuscript details the methodology steps, delivering different designs for progressive validation toward a complete MOoC that comprises a microfluidic chip with cells and an online glucose sensor. From the grounds and perspectives presented in this thesis, future work can be conducted to further complete this islet-muscle MOoC. The methodology can be re-used and extended in the perspective of adding new organs (liver, adipocytes) in this MOoC in order to better address the interorgan crosstalk deregulations in type 2 diabetes pathophysiology.