Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
A research team funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed a laboratory model that demonstrates how antibody-producing plasma cells migrate, mature, and survive within human bone marrow, a key site for these long-lived cells. The platform combines a lymph node-mimicking organoid with a tissue chip that replicates bone marrow, allowing researchers to observe critical plasma cell developmental stages previously difficult to study in humans. Analysis of cells in the tissue chip provides important new information about plasma cell development and function.
According to John H. Powers III, M.D., acting director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the platform gives a novel perspective into human immune system function by simulating key immune components in this combined lymphoid and bone marrow-on-a-chip. This approach could offer insights not achievable with current models.
Plasma cells produce antibodies that protect against infections but may also cause autoimmune disease, allergies, or blood cancers if abnormal. Long-lived plasma cells in bone marrow maintain antibody production and long-term immunity after infection or vaccination. Until now, the mechanisms of plasma cell migration and maintenance in human bone marrow have been poorly understood.
Ankur Singh, Ph.D., Professor of Bioengineering at Georgia Tech and study lead, noted that the approach aims to answer key questions about how B cells move from lymph nodes and other organs to produce antibodies effectively, supporting translational research opportunities.