Lung Model Device with Segmented Mesh Panels for Nanoparticle Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current inhalation toxicity testing for nanoparticles relies on laboratory animals, which raises ethical concerns and is costly, with existing lung model devices being complex and inaccessible, limiting their use.
Innovation Solution
A lung model device featuring a case with sequentially arranged mesh tissue panels of descending lattice spacings, mimicking human lung structure, and a respiratory operating unit to simulate inhalation, allowing nanoparticles to flow through and interact with lung cells without the need for actual animals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If laboratory animals are used for inhalation toxicity testing, then test accuracy is improved, but ethical concerns and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a synthetic lung model that copies the essential structural and functional characteristics of real lungs using mesh tissue panels with specific pore sizes and arrangements. This virtual copy allows toxicity testing without using actual laboratory animals, thereby eliminating ethical concerns while maintaining test accuracy through physiological relevance.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesh tissue panels serve as an intermediary medium between nanoparticles and the testing system. These panels mimic lung tissue properties and allow nanoparticles to interact with the model in a controlled manner, enabling toxicity assessment without direct exposure of living animals while preserving measurement precision.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If existing lung model devices are used, then animal testing is reduced, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lung model is segmented into multiple mesh tissue panels with different pore sizes, each representing different regions or functions of the lung. This segmentation allows for simplified construction and easier manufacturing while maintaining the overall functionality to assess nanoparticle toxicity, thereby reducing device complexity compared to integrated complex models.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts key parameters such as pore size, mesh density, and panel arrangement to optimize the balance between model simplicity and functional accuracy. By carefully selecting these parameters, the device achieves adequate toxicity testing capability without requiring complex structural elements, thus reducing overall device complexity.
3Measurement precision
If mesh tissue panels with different lattice spacings are arranged sequentially, then test accuracy is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different mesh tissue panels are assigned different lattice spacings based on their specific functional requirements within the lung model. This local differentiation allows each panel to optimize its interaction with nanoparticles of specific sizes, improving test accuracy while maintaining manageable manufacturing complexity through standardized production of individual panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesh tissue panels are pre-manufactured with specific lattice spacings and then assembled into the lung model configuration. This preliminary preparation of individual components with predetermined properties simplifies the overall manufacturing process, as each panel can be produced independently using standardized techniques before final assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A lung model device for inhalation toxicity testing is provided. The device has a plurality of mesh tissue panels having lung cells attached thereto arranged inside a case so as to have a similar structure to a human lung, and air and nanoparticles are supplied into the case through a separate respiratory operating unit, thereby enabling inhalation toxicity testing on nanoparticles to be simply and conveniently performed in an indirect way by determining changes in the state of the lung cells without using real laboratory animals. The mesh tissue panels having a smaller lattice spacing size are sequentially positioned according to the nanoparticle inflow direction, thereby providing a structure similar to the structure of a real lung.