3D BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER MICROVASCULAR NETWORK MODEL INCLUDING HUMAN IPS-DERIVED ENDOTHELIAL CELLS, PERICYTES AND ASTROCYTES

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a selective barrier that help to maintain brain homeostasis, however it also creates an obstacle to drug delivery. For years, in vivo animal models have been widely used for BBB studies and drug evaluations. Although these techniques are considered the gold standard, 80% of drug candidates that were successful in animal models later failed in clinical trials. For that reason, a cost-effective in vitro BBB model that adequately reflects human in vivo conditions is required. Here we developed a 3D microfluidic model of the BBB by self-organized vascular network including (iPS)-derived endothelial cells, human brain pericytes, and astrocytes