Jessica Murray
Jessica Murray
Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA)
Jessica met limitation with innovation and embarked on a journey to create a device that could accurately replicate human airway biology. She used a fluorescent tracer system to track how particles moved through a chamber containing 3D Air-Liquid Interface (ALI) inserts. As a result of government-wide building closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica utilized Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) modeling to substitute laboratory observations. This led her to team up with her co-inventors, Todd and Jason, to create the Aerosol-Compatible Cell Culture Exposure System (ACCES).
The ACCES is a unique cell culture exposure system. It is designed to use commercially available 3D ALI inserts while selectively adjusting and delivering aerosols and volatile compounds to human cells. This system allows for refined control of relative humidity and temperature to mimic the human airway. Operational flows can be reduced or otherwise varied to deliver multiple particle doses. The system is so flexible, the user can change the flow rate depending on particle size or compound type as needed. With ACCES, researchers can utilize serial dilution and delivery to test multiple aerosols, VOCs, and a wide array of other test fluids under physiologically relevant conditions.
Jessica is enthusiastic about the impact this new technology will have in public health. This technology is viable for entities that need to evaluate toxicity of inhalable chemicals. Most importantly, it can be used to test the potential health effects of aerosols and VOCs in cell culture which can reduce the need for animal testing. Jessica hopes this new technology will lend her fellow researchers the creativity to ask scientific questions like, “how can we do this better?” for the benefit of all people.
Photos of Technology:
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