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PneumaCult™-ALI Medium

Serum- and BPE-free medium for human airway epithelial cells cultured at the air-liquid interface

Need robust HAECs for differentiation? Begin your workflow by expanding HAECs in PneumaCult™-NGEx Medium for optimal ALI cultures.

PneumaCult™-ALI Medium

Serum- and BPE-free medium for human airway epithelial cells cultured at the air-liquid interface

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Serum- and BPE-free medium for human airway epithelial cells cultured at the air-liquid interface
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Product Advantages


  • HBECs cultured with PneumaCult™-ALI undergo extensive mucociliary differentiation to form a pseudostratified epithelium that closely resembles the human airway

  • PneumaCult™-ALI is serum-free and BPE-free to minimize variability

What's Included

  • PneumaCult™-ALI Basal Medium, 450 mL
  • PneumaCult™-ALI 10X Supplement, 50 mL
  • PneumaCult™-ALI Maintenance Supplement (100X), 5 x 1 mL
Products for Your Protocol
To see all required products for your protocol, please consult the Protocols and Documentation.

Overview

PneumaCult™-ALI Medium (Catalog #05001) is a serum- and BPE-free medium for the culture of human airway epithelial cells at the air-liquid interface (ALI). Airway epithelial cells cultured in PneumaCult™-ALI Medium undergo extensive mucociliary differentiation to form a pseudostratified epithelium that exhibits morphological and functional characteristics similar to those of the human airway in vivo. PneumaCult™-ALI Medium is also available in a kit that includes 12 mm Transwell® inserts (Catalog #05021) or 6.5 mm Transwell® inserts (Catalog #05022).

Together, PneumaCult™-ALI Medium and PneumaCult™-NGEx Medium (Catalog #100-1505) constitute a fully integrated BPE-free culture system for in vitro human airway modeling that is also compatible with primary human nasal epithelial cells. This robust and defined system is a valuable tool for basic respiratory research, toxicity studies, and drug development.

Learn how to culture human airway epithelial cells at the ALI in our On-Demand Pulmonary Course or browse our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the ALI culture workflow using PneumaCult™.

For information about introductory offers to try PneumaCult™ in your lab, fill out this form.
Subtype
Specialized Media
Cell Type
Airway Cells
Species
Human
Application
Cell Culture, Differentiation, Maintenance, Organoid Culture
Brand
PneumaCult
Area of Interest
Disease Modeling, Drug Discovery and Toxicity Testing, Epithelial Cell Biology
Formulation Category
Serum-Free

Data Figures

Figure 1. Overview of the PneumaCult™ Culture System

Expansion of human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) in submerged culture is performed with PneumaCult™-Ex Plus or PneumaCult™-Ex. During the early Expansion Phase of the ALI culture procedure, PneumaCult™-Ex Plus or PneumaCult™-Ex is applied to the apical and basal chambers. Upon reaching confluence, the culture is air-lifted by removing the culture medium from both chambers, and adding PneumaCult™-ALI to the basal chamber only. Differentiation into a pseudostratified mucociliary epithelium is obtained following 21-28 days of incubation and can be maintained for more than one year.

Figure 2. HBECs Cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex Successfully Differentiate into a Pseudostratified Mucociliary Epithelium with PneumaCult™-ALI

Early-passage (P1-3) HBECs cultured in PneumaCult™-Ex successfully differentiate when cultured at air-liquid interface with PneumaCult™-ALI for 28 days. H&E staining revealed the pseudostratifi ed structure of the epithelium with cilia present at the apical surface (A). Periodic acid-Schiff staining demonstrated the presence of goblet cells (B). The presence of ciliated and goblet cells was also demonstrated by immunofl uorescence staining of cilia marker acetylated (AC)-Tubulin (green; C) and the goblet cell marker Mucin5AC (green; D). Appropriate positioning of basal cells along the transwell insert was visualized by immunofl uorescence staining using the basal cell markers p75NTR (green) and p63 (red; E,F). A representative merged image indicates the apical cells, detected by DAPI alone, positioned along the epithelium and in close contact with the basal cells (detected by DAPI, p63 and p75NTR co-labeling) located along the insert (G).

Figure 3. Electrophysiological characterization of differentiated HBECs (P4) that were expanded in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus, PneumaCult™-Ex, and Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media

TEER (A) and representative characterization of the ion channel activities (B) for ALI cultures at 28 days post air-lift using HBECs expanded in PneumaCult™-Ex Plus, PneumaCult™-Ex, or Bronchial Epithelial Growth Media. Amiloride: ENaC inhibitor. IBMX and Forskolin: CFTR activators. Genistein: CFTR potentiator. CFTRinh-172: CFTR inhibitor. UTP: Calciumactivated Chloride channels (CaCCs) activator. All ALI differentiation cultures were performed using PneumaCult™-ALI.

Protocols and Documentation

Find supporting information and directions for use in the Product Information Sheet or explore additional protocols below.

Document Type
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Product Name
Catalog #
05001
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English
Document Type
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05021
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English
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05022
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English
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
05001
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English
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
05001
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English
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
05001
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Language
English
Document Type
Product Name
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05021
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All
Language
English
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
05021
Lot #
All
Language
English
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
05021
Lot #
All
Language
English
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
05022
Lot #
All
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English
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
05022
Lot #
All
Language
English
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
05022
Lot #
All
Language
English

Applications

This product is designed for use in the following research area(s) as part of the highlighted workflow stage(s). Explore these workflows to learn more about the other products we offer to support each research area.

Resources and Publications

Educational Materials (27)

Brochure
Brochure
Scientific Poster
Scientific Poster
Scientific Poster
Scientific Poster
On-Demand Training

Publications (151)

CRSwNP-derived cells retain native disease-relevant characteristics in vitro P. KĂĽhnel et al. Journal of Inflammation (London, England) 2026 Mar

Abstract

Objective and designChronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a heterogeneous inflammatory disease of the paranasal sinuses, which is divided into CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP). CRSwNP is typically caused by type 2 inflammation, which is characterized by elevated IL-4 and IL-13 levels, impairment of the epithelial barrier, and tissue remodeling. While the involvement of immune cells is well known, it remains unclear to what extent structural cells intrinsically maintain disease-specific functional programs. The aim of this study was to determine whether epithelial cells and fibroblasts derived from CRSwNP and CRSsNP differ in their barrier properties, inflammatory reactivity, and type 2-associated functional characteristics.MethodsAir–liquid interface (ALI) epithelial cultures and primary fibroblast cultures were generated from CRSwNP and CRSsNP tissue. Epithelial barrier integrity was assessed by transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), and inflammatory responses to TLR stimulation were analyzed by qRT-PCR. Fibroblast migration was evaluated using scratch assays. Cellular responses to IL-4/IL-13 with or without Dupilumab were quantified by qRT-PCR.ResultsCRSwNP-derived epithelial cells exhibited delayed tight junction formation and impaired differentiation compared to CRSsNP cells. Poly(I:C) stimulation induced stronger expression of Th2-associated cytokines in CRSwNP cultures. CRSwNP fibroblasts showed reduced migratory capacity and a heightened induction of Th2 cytokines and extracellular matrix genes following IL-4/IL-13 stimulation relative to CRSsNP fibroblasts.ConclusionEpithelial cells and fibroblasts derived from CRSwNP retain disease-associated type 2 characteristics in vitro, indicating persistent disease-aligned programmed functional alterations of the polyp microenvironment. In contrast, CRSsNP-derived cells lacked comparable enhanced type 2 responsiveness. These findings support CRSwNP as a distinct, self-sustaining inflammatory endotype and underscore the value of patient-derived models for investigating disease mechanisms and targeted therapies.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12950-026-00497-7.
IFITM3 deficiency drives SARS-CoV-2 adaptation while preserving variant-specific traits P. Denz et al. Nature Communications 2026 Jan

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 can infect and adapt to multiple animal species, yet the host determinants that control interspecies viral adaptation remain poorly defined. Here we investigate whether interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3), a key antiviral protein deficient in certain human populations, affects interspecies adaptation of SARS-CoV-2. We find that SARS-CoV-2 Beta and Omicron BA.4 variants passaged through IFITM3-deficient versus wild type mice exhibit enhanced replication and pathogenesis in this new host species. These enhancements are associated with amino acid substitutions in the viral genome, suggesting that IFITM3 limits accumulation of adaptive mutations. Mouse-adapted viruses enable comparative studies of variants in mice. Beta causes lung dysfunction and alters cilia-associated gene programs, consistent with broad viral antigen distribution in the lungs. Omicron, which shows mild pathogenicity and upper respiratory tract preference in humans, replicates to high nasal titers while exhibiting limited lung spread and reduced inflammatory responses compared to Beta. Our findings demonstrate that IFITM3 deficiency accelerates SARS-CoV-2 adaptation while preserving pre-existing variant-specific properties, highlighting that host adaptation enhances viral fitness without necessarily overriding intrinsic viral characteristics. Denz et al. show that loss of the antiviral protein IFITM3 allows human SARS-CoV-2 variants to adapt more rapidly in mice while preserving distinct, variant-specific patterns of infection and disease.
Innate airway responses shape permissiveness to human respiratory syncytial virus L. L. A. van Dijk et al. Virus Research 2026 Apr

Abstract

The interaction between human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) and the innate immune system has been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. Disruption of interferon (IFN) signaling pathways increases susceptibility and permissiveness to HRSV infection, whereas pretreatment of cells with IFN confers (partial) resistance. This suggests that HRSV disease severity is likely influenced by a pre-existing antiviral state of the respiratory epithelium, driven by baseline or primed expression of type I and type III IFNs. Here, we investigated whether prior exposure to respiratory bacteria or viruses alters in vitro susceptibility and permissiveness to HRSV infection by shaping an antiviral state using both immortalized cell lines and airway organoid models. In A549 cells, pre-exposure to S. aureus had the most significant impact by reducing HRSV infection and inducing robust interferon responses. However, this effect was not reproduced in airway organoids. Conversely, sequential virus infection experiments in airway organoids revealed that prior infection with human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV‑3) reduced the spread of subsequent HRSV infection. In addition to interferon signaling this proved to be associated with epithelial damage mediated by HPIV-3 infection. Collectively, these findings show that HRSV susceptibility and permissiveness are influenced by the up- or downregulation of specific anti- and pro-viral factors induced by prior bacterial or viral exposure, together with the maintenance or disruption of epithelial integrity. Understanding these interactions could be crucial when identifying specific risk groups for severe HRSV-associated disease and the development of targeted HRSV interventions.
Need robust HAECs for differentiation? Begin your workflow by expanding HAECs in PneumaCult™-NGEx Medium for optimal ALI cultures.