A 3D model that accurately mimics the blood brain barrier (BBB) in a laboratory environment has been successfully developed by research teams led by Professor Jinah Jang of the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Life Sciences, Convergence Engineering of you and the school of graduated convergence of Postch, and Professor Sun Ha Pavek of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Hospital of the National University of Seoul. This study was recently published in Biomaterial researchAn international academic magazine on material science.
Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), result from the progressive decrease in brain and nervous system functions, mainly due to aging. Chronic neuroinflammation, a key driver of these disorders, arises from the intricate interactions between brain blood vessels and neural cells, where BBB plays a fundamental regulatory role. However, existing BBB models have not been able to replicate the complex three -dimensional 3D structure of cerebral blood vessels, raising significant challenges for the research and development of drugs.
To address these limitations, the research team developed a specific brain bioink using “declloulular extracellular matrix” (CBVDECM), derived from the swine brain and blood vessels. In addition, the equipment applied 3D bioimpression technology to build a tubular vascular model that precisely replicates the anatomical structure and function of human BBB.
A key feature of this model is the spontaneous formation of a double -layer structure without external stimuli. When “HBMEC (microvascular endothelial cells of the human brain)” and “HBVP (vascular pericitos of the human brain)” were incorporated in the bvdecm and printed bioink, the endothelial cells are self -assembled in the internal vascular wall, while the pericisis formed a layer surrounding. This resulted in the creation of a double -layer structure that looks a lot like the architecture of the real blood vessels.
In addition, the research team successfully replicated the disposition and the process of organization of “narrow union proteins”, a typically absent component in conventional 2D models. In addition, BBB permeability and inflammatory responses were observed after exposure to inducing inflammation substances (TNF-α and IL-1β). This approach allowed the precise modeling of neuroinflamatory mechanisms, producing critical ideas about the role of dysfunction and inflammation of BBB in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases.
Professor Sun Hak, from the Hospital of the National University of Seoul, commented: “This study provides a crucial platform to investigate the pathological mechanisms of neuroinflammation and develop new therapeutic strategies.” Professor Jinah Jang of Postech added: “Our goal is to integrate additional cells, such as glial cells, neurons and immune cells, to refine methods to quantify inflammatory responses and permeability, while expanding to specific disease models of the patient “.
This research was supported by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy and the Alchemist Project of Industrial Technology of the Institute for Evaluation and Evaluation of the Industrial Technology of Korea, as well as the Project to Support the National Research Research Research Institute of the Korea Research Foundation.