Patent ID: 8647837

Claim:
A method of determining whether a test compound has an immunological activity, said method comprising: (a) culturing an artificial tissue construct with a test compound, wherein the artificial tissue construct comprises: (i) a first cellular layer comprising alveolar primary epithelial cells and having a first face and a second face, (ii) a second cellular layer comprising alveolar primary endothelial cells, wherein the second layer is positioned on the first face or the second face of the first layer, wherein the first cellular layer and the second cellular layer are in direct contact, and (iii) either a population of B lymphocytes, or a population of B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes, (b) assaying an immunological activity of the artificial tissue construct of (a), and (c) comparing the immunological activity assayed in (b) to the immunological activity assayed for the artificial tissue construct cultured in the absence of the test compound, wherein when there is a difference in the immunological activity of the artificial tissue construct in the presence of the test compound compared to an absence of the test compound, the test compound is determined to have an immunological activity.