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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Author Spotlight: A Personalized Approach Towards Investigating Alzheimer's Disease Using an In Vitro Blood-Brain Barrier Model
Published on: October 20, 2023
The molecular constituents of the blood-brain barrier
1Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MN 02115, USA.
Abstract:
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) maintains the optimal microenvironment in the central nervous system (CNS) for proper brain function. The BBB comprises specialized CNS endothelial cells with fundamental molecular properties essential for the function and integrity of the BBB. The restrictive nature of the BBB hinders the delivery of therapeutics for many neurological disorders. In addition, recent evidence shows that BBB dysfunction can precede or hasten the progression of several neurological diseases. Despite the physiological significance of the BBB in health and disease, major discoveries of the molecular regulators of BBB formation and function have occurred only recently. This review highlights recent findings describing the molecular determinants and core cellular pathways that confer BBB properties on CNS endothelial cells.
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