Models for predicting blood-brain barrier permeation

The endothelial blood-brain barrier (BBB) ensures an optimal environment for proper neural function in vertebrates; however, it also creates a major obstacle for the medical treatment of brain diseases. Despite significant progress in the development of various in vitro and in silico models for predicting BBB permeation, many challenges remain and, so far, no model is able to meet the early drug discovery demands of the industry for reliability and time and cost efficiency. Recently, it was found that the grasshopper (Locusta migratoria) brain barrier has similar functionality as the vertebrate BBB. The insect model can thus be used as a surrogate for the vertebrate BBB as it meets the demands required during the drug discovery phase.