Cervix-on-a-Chip: Advancing STI Prevention and Treatment

Scientists have developed the first immune-capable “organ-on-a-chip” model that realistically reproduces the human cervical environment, enabling researchers to study how the microbiome, immune system, and sexually transmitted infections interact in a way that was not possible with traditional cell cultures or animal models.

The model, known as a cervix-on-a-chip, was created by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, the University of Delaware, and the University of Virginia, and was published in the journal Science Advances.

For the first time, researchers can simulate what happens in the human body rather than relying solely on petri dish systems or inadequate animal models, according to Jacques Ravel, PhD, Director of the Center for Microbiome Research and Innovation at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute for Genome Sciences and co-lead author of the study.

The cervix-on-a-chip model incorporates human cells and microbiomes and has demonstrated how microbiome balance influences the outcomes of chlamydia and gonorrhea infections, two of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections globally.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea represent a substantial share of the sexually transmitted infection burden, with combined direct medical costs estimated at approximately $1 billion annually in the United States alone, driven by their high incidence and associated complications.