Human brain model to study Dengue and Zika virus
December 2018
Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA
It is shown that brain organoids containing microglia cells in addition to astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and neuronal populations possess physiologically relevant features. Without these cells, the organoids do not show inflammatory reactions to e.g. lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or flaviviruses. By co-cultivation with microglia cells, the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines is induced in the brain organoids. After infection with Zika and Dengue viruses interleukins, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and chemokines are also induced.
This shows that the model is physiologically relevant and has potential applications in research on infectious disease and host-pathogen interactions.
Microglia Increase Inflammatory Responses in iPSC-Derived Human BrainSpheres
David Pamies
Added on: 08-28-2020
[1] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02766/full
