A dynamic in vivo-like organotypic blood-brain barrier model to probe metastatic brain tumors.

ABSTRACT: The blood-brain barrier (BBB) restricts the uptake of many neuro-therapeutic molecules, presenting a formidable hurdle to drug development in brain diseases. We proposed a new and dynamic in vivo-like three-dimensional microfluidic system that replicates the key structural, functional and mechanical properties of the blood-brain barrier in vivo. Multiple factors in this system work synergistically to accentuate BBB-specific attributes-permitting the analysis of complex organ-level responses in both normal and pathological microenvironments in brain tumors. The complex BBB microenvironment is reproduced in this system via physical cell-cell interaction, vascular mechanical cues and cell migration. This model possesses the unique capability to examine brain metastasis of human lung, breast a

SUBMITTER: Xu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5103210 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature