IN VITRO MODELS of neurovasculature
Animal models of central nervous system (CNS) disease can provide excellent insights into causative mechanisms, but therapies that are successful in rodents too often fail in human trials. Moreover, animal models are inherently low throughput for identifying effective therapeutic candidates. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which grow indefinitely in culture and can be coaxed to form any cell type found in the human body, have been hailed as a potential alternative to animal models. For our purposes, iPSCs can produce an unlimited supply of human cells found in the vascularized CNS: beyond brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), we can also make brain-specific pericytes, neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. We are interested in using a number of engineering techniques and classical differentiation methods to more effectively build representative CNS models from iPSCs. Ultimately, these models are intended for applications in drug screening and disease modeling.
Relevant contacts
Brian O’Grady, Lexi Yates, Daniel Chavarria, Haley Masters
Relevant publications
Organotypic neurovascular models: past results and future directions