Multicellular organoids with blood-brain barrier for neurotoxicity screening
2018
Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, USA
The development of a human neurovascular organoid model is reported. The model contains the six constituent cell types found within the brain cortex: human endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes and neurons, with endothelial cells enclosing the brain parenchymal cells. Cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) sources were utilized to establish potential patient-specific and disease applications. It was shown that the model can be used in toxicity assessment studies for molecules that have the potential to cross or open the blood-brain barrier. Neurotoxicity screening was assessed and a model of the blood-brain barrier during clinical ischemia was established showing physiologic responses under hypoxic conditions. Taken together, the multicellular organoid model forms a functional blood-brain barrier and may be useful not only in drug discovery of novel therapeutics but also to evaluate the ability of drug candidates to cross the blood-brain barrier.
Human cortex spheroid with a functional blood brain barrier for high-throughput neurotoxicity screening and disease modeling
Doodwell Nzou
Added on: 03-16-2022
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-25603-5
