Microfluidic blood–brain barrier model provides in vivo‐like barrier properties for drug permeability screening

ABSTRACT Efficient delivery of therapeutics across the neuroprotective blood–brain barrier (BBB) remains a formidable challenge for central nervous system drug development. High‐fidelity in vitro models of the BBB could facilitate effective early screening of drug candidates targeting the brain. In this study, we developed a microfluidic BBB model that is capable of mimicking in vivo BBB characteristics for a prolonged period and allows for reliable in vitro drug permeability studies under recirculating perfusion. We derived brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and cocultured them with rat primary astrocytes on the two sides of a porous membrane on a…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: S10RR025502, ECS‐0335765
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Award: UH2TR000516‐01
• NC
  National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences