Back
For best output, select "Paper Size" as "A4" and "Margin" as "0" or "None".
To save or print to PDF, please select Print Destination > Save as PDF, enable Background Graphics under "More Settings", then click "Save".
During the congress, E-Posters will be accessible to all participants on the congress website 24/7, as well as in the E-poster stations in the congress center.
Preparing your E-Poster
Please review the E-Poster format requirements carefully when preparing your E-Poster. Should your E-Poster not meet the mentioned requirements, it may not be displayed as described above.
E-Poster Submission Deadline
Please prepare and upload your E-Poster no later than March 14, 2026 11.59PM CET. After this date, you will no longer be able to prepare and upload your E-poster and it will not be displayed and accessible on the congress website.
Please follow the instructions below to input your abstract title.
Abstract titles should be brief and reflect the content of the abstract.
Current dialysis membranes fail to replicate the selective permeability and biocompatibility of the native glomerular basement membrane (GBM). This study evaluates polyethersulfone (PES) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membranes as structural supports within a glomerulus-on-a-chip platform to co-culture human glomerular endothelial cells (ciGEnC) and podocytes, enabling the formation of a humanized GBM under physiologically relevant conditions. Comparing PES and PET provides valuable insight into membrane selection for both dialysis technologies and organ-on-a-chip systems that aim to replicate kidney filtration.
The chip was fabricated using cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) featured upper and lower chambers representing the vascular and urinary spaces, respectively and integrated with membrane support with 8 µm pores. PES membranes were characterized and compared to PET membranes using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), zeta potential analysis, equilibrium water content (EWC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Each membrane was integrated into a separate chip and coated with varying concentrations of collagen type I to optimize and compare cell adhesion. Conditionally immortalized human podocytes (AB8/13) and ciGEnCs (from Drs. Moin Saleem and Simon Satchell, University of Bristol) were seeded and analyzed by confocal microscopy. The effects of coating strategy and flow rate on GBM formation and chip integrity were also assessed.
PES membranes exhibited a larger mean pore size (8.25 ± 3.51 µm) with broader distribution (up to 20 µm) compared to PET (7.11 ± 0.26 µm, range: 6.4–8 µm), greater hydrophilicity (EWC: 69.9% vs. 34.7%), and a more negative surface charge (−14.16 mV vs. −3.56 mV). DSC confirmed higher non-freezable water content in PES (41.1%) than in PET (26.7%), indicating more stable hydration layers. Coating with 2 mg/mL collagen I yielded optimal cell attachment and growth. Both cell types maintained phenotypic fidelity and differentiation across both membranes, with PES demonstrating enhanced cell migration, more uniform GBM formation and cell distribution, and stronger intercellular interactions on confocal imaging.
The engineered system enables precise control of GBM formation over microenvironmental conditions and supports physiologically relevant cell behavior, marking a significant step toward advanced in vitro kidney models. PES membranes demonstrated favorable physicochemical and biological properties for organ-on-a-chip applications. Their higher hydration capacity and pore characteristics make them a promising scaffold for modeling glomerular filtration in vitro, potentially improving biomimetic dialysis technologies.
