The Ussing chamber apparatus provides a system to measure the transport properties of several epithelial tissues, i.e., to study how ions, nutrients and drugs are carried across the barriers that separate our mucosal (external side) from serosal (blood side) compartments. These measurements can be electrical, colorimetric or radioactive-based.

Have you ever wondered how the pH of the blood is regulated? How the composition of the cerebrospinal fluid that protects and nourishes the brain is maintained? Why infection with the cholera toxin leads the gut to secrete excessive amounts of fluid, causing severe diarrhea and a life-threatening loss of electrolytes? Why some people are more prone to airway infection and inflammation than others?

Physiologically, different membrane proteins – channels, transporters and pumps – are responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of the blood and epithelial secretions, which is crucial for normal body function. When these proteins are dysfunctional (hypo- or hyperactive), severe disease can arise.

The Ussing chamber has not only been used to support medical diagnosis and prognosis of different diseases caused by dysfunctional epithelial transport, but also for personalization of treatment. Before direct patient administration, different drugs can be tested in patient-derived epithelial samples (e.g. nasal swabs and rectal biopsies) to assess their responsiveness to single or combined therapies.

In this method course, I will be discussing and demonstrating the Ussing chamber technique using airway cell models. The course will take place in 1 day (from 10 am to 4 pm) to be determined between September 1^st and September 27^th 2022, and it will be worth 0.3 CPs. For those interested, please register with me at any time, using the contact information below. The date will be set according to the availability of the participants, upon an appropriate number of registrations. Looking forward to seeing you all!