Microphysiological systems for recapitulating physiology and function of blood-brain barrier

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Central nervous system (CNS) diseases pose significant challenges in aging populations.
• Developing effective CNS drugs is hindered by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) transport limitations.
• Existing 2D cell cultures and animal models fail to accurately represent in vivo BBB physiology and drug transport.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of recent advancements in in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) models.
• To highlight the focus on recapitulating BBB function in these novel models.
• To discuss the potential of biomimetic BBB models in research and pharmaceutical applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent engineering techniques for creating in vitro BBB models.
• Focus on models that recapitulate physiological BBB functions.
• Analysis of applications in fundamental research and drug screening.

Main Results:

• Engineering advances have led to more physiologically relevant in vitro BBB models.
• These models enable better observation of molecular transport compared to traditional methods.
• Applications are expanding from basic research to the pharmaceutical industry.

Conclusions:

• Biomimetic in vitro BBB models represent a significant leap forward.
• These models are expected to revolutionize fundamental biological studies of the CNS.
• They hold great promise for improving drug screening and development for CNS diseases.