Advances in Microfluidic Blood-Brain Barrier Microarray Research

The development of microfluidics and organ-on-a-chip systems is driving the establishment of novel in vitro models that can simulate complex microenvironments and physiological effects in vivo. Therefore, microfluidics-based in vitro blood-brain barrier models have attracted much attention.

Creative Biolabs provides an overview of recent advances in blood-brain barrier microarrays, offering innovative research ideas for brain science-related studies, such as modeling neurodegenerative diseases and high-throughput drug screening.

Design Strategies for Microfluidic Blood-Brain Barrier Microarrays

An ideal in vitro blood-brain barrier model should mimic key features of the in vivo blood-brain barrier.

• 3D vascular structure of endothelial cells
• Intercellular interactions
• Fluid shear stress on endothelial cells
• A basement membrane with certain permeability and appropriate thickness

Currently, a variety of microfluidic blood-brain barrier models can realize cell co-culture as well as shear stress. However, one of the challenges in simulating the in vivo blood-brain barrier is to mimic the in vivo basement membrane, which is involved in a variety of physiological processes, including cell differentiation, homeostasis, tissue maintenance, and cellular structural support roles.

Therefore, in order to better simulate the blood-brain barrier in a microfluidic system, the system design, construction strategy, and materials used in the system need to be optimized.

Recent Research Advances in BBB Microarray

• BBB Microarray Integrated Biosensors for Novel Neurodegenerative Disease Research
  A very attractive enhancement of BBB microarray technology is its integration with assay systems to provide continuous real-time monitoring of biomarkers and fully automated penetration analysis of drugs. It can deepen the understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and provide a reliable means of testing drug permeability for new therapies.
• Constructing the BBB at the Capillary Scale
  Many biological and pathological processes in the cerebrovascular system occur in the capillaries, and thus the lack of robust hierarchical modeling at the capillary scale is a major obstacle to BBB research. Some researchers have constructed a human BBB at the capillary scale using the dual template technique.
• BBB Microarray for Vascular Permeability Analysis
  It has been studied that stem cell-derived or primary brain endothelial cells, primary pericytes and astrocytes were integrated in a microfluidic device to form an in vitro model of human BBB by self-assembly. The experimental time for measuring the permeability of molecules in the BBB model was greatly reduced.

Application and Technical Advantages of BBB Microarray

The microfluidic blood-brain barrier is an innovative model based on microfluidic technology and can simulate the complex structure of the human blood-brain barrier in vivo. This model holds promise for a wide range of applications, including the development of novel therapeutic modalities, individualized medicine, drug toxicity testing, and basic brain research.

The following are some examples of applications of the novel blood-brain barrier microarrays.

• Microfluidic chip for drug neurotoxicity testing
• Microfluidic chip for high throughput screening
• Microfluidic chip for exploring neuroinflammation
• Microfluidic chip for individualized medicine

The model can better simulate the complex microstructure of the brain as well as biochemical-mechanical factors than conventional models.

• Promises to reduce animal modeling experiments
• Provides a powerful tool for high-throughput or single-cell studies
• Widely used in glioma research, neuroinflammation, drug discovery, neurotoxic compound testing, viral infection research, and many other applications

At Creative Biolabs, we are committed to advancing the creation of microfluidic blood-brain barrier microarray in vitro models. Please contact us for related research needs.

References

1. Oddo A, et al. Advances in microfluidic blood–brain barrier (BBB) models. Trends in biotechnology, 2019, 37(12): 1295-1314.
2. Jiang L, et al. Recent progress in microfluidic models of the blood-brain barrier. Micromachines, 2019, 10(6): 375.

For Research Use Only. Not For Clinical Use.