In vitro gut organoid screening model for evaluating postbiotic dietary interventions against endotoxin-driven inflammation
A high-throughput 3D intestinal organoid screening platform that tests how postbiotics (bacteria-derived metabolites) mitigate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)–induced damage to gut health. The model combines enteroid cultures with anaerobic gut microbiota batch culture systems to support microbiome-targeted dietary intervention development for obesity and related metabolic disorders, using multi-condition assays and host readouts including proliferation, epithelial integrity, gene reprogramming, and bioactive molecule release.
Overview
This research addresses the public health challenge of obesity by targeting the gut microbiome–host axis. The western diet promotes Gram-negative bacteria that produce lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin that compromises gut barrier integrity and triggers inflammation linked to fat accumulation. While probiotics are widely marketed, this work shifts focus to postbiotics—bioactive metabolites produced by bacteria—which offer more precise, reproducible mechanisms for modulating gut health. The solution is an in vitro screening model that enables rapid, high-throughput evaluation of postbiotic candidates for their ability to attenuate LPS-induced damage, supporting the development of microbiome-based dietary interventions for obesity and related metabolic disorders.
Technical specifications
- 3D intestinal organoid (enteroid) cultures derived from mouse small intestine and colon stem cells (C57BL/6J mice), grown routinely in the laboratory
- Anaerobic batch culture system for simulating gut microbiota–chemical interactions and generating spent media for testing
- Multi-condition screening assay comparing responses to (1) LPS alone, (2) LPS combined with postbiotics, and (3) spent media from simplified gut microbial communities exposed to postbiotics
- Host health readouts including enteroid proliferation, epithelial integrity, gene reprogramming, and bioactive molecule release
- Monolayer transport assays to study absorption and intracellular trafficking of fatty acids and glucose
- Coupled biochemical and microbiological assays enabling integrated analysis of microbiome modulation and host response
Technology readiness level
The platform is at an early-to-mid development stage. Enteroid culture methods and anaerobic batch culture systems are already established in the laboratory at the University of Maryland. Future validation will focus on testing postbiotics to refine assay conditions and demonstrate efficacy. The model is designed to accelerate screening throughput compared to traditional in vivo approaches, positioning it as a translational tool for evaluating microbiome-based dietary interventions prior to clinical studies.
About University of Maryland
The University of Maryland is the state's flagship public research university in College Park, serving a large student body and offering comprehensive academic and research programs. Industry engages through an adjacent research park, shared prototyping facilities, and dedicated corporate partnership channels, plus joint pathways to a medical campus for clinical and regulatory engagement. Its Washington–Baltimore location places partners near federal agencies, national labs, and prime contractors, while a statewide extension network supports collaboration with companies. Research is backed by competitive federal funding from agencies such as NSF, NIH, DoD, DOE, NASA, and USDA, and coordinated commercialization services advance IP, startup formation, licensing, and industry-sponsored research.
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