'Lung on a Leaf' Model to Study Pulmonary Diseases
University of Arizona researchers are blending plant biology, medicine and engineering to create a leaf-based test platform that simulates a human lung.
Frederic Zenhausern, seated, works with Dr. Kenneth Knox and Ting Wang, left, on research that combines their knowledge of engineering and medicine in a new model to study pulmonary diseases.
Researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix have developed a revolutionary "lung on a leaf" to study pulmonary diseases.
Dr. Kenneth Knox, professor and associate dean of faculty affairs and development, and Frederic Zenhausern, professor, biomedical engineer and director of the UA Center for Applied NanoBioscience and Medicine, have received a three-year, $750,000 grant from the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission to study lung infections such as Valley fever and inflammatory conditions such as sarcoidosis in a plant model.
We are developing a tool that will better mimic the human system and improve the overall concept of personalized medicine."