Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2024, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (3): 499-500.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.380892

Previous Articles     Next Articles

On-chip physiological mimicry of neurovascular unit: challenges and perspectives

Song Ih Ahn*, YongTae Kim*   

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea (Ahn SI)
    George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA (Kim Y) 
    Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA (Kim Y)
    Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA (Kim Y)
    Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA (Kim Y)
  • Online:2024-03-15 Published:2023-09-01
  • Contact: Song Ih Ahn, PhD, songihahn@pusan.ac.kr; YongTae Kim, PhD, ytkim@gatech.edu.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by a 2-Year Research Grant of Pusan National University (to SIA).

PDF

52

Abstract: Neurological disorders including neurodegenerative diseases, brain tumors, and stroke are the second leading cause of death and the greatest cause of disability worldwide. However, it remains challenging to achieve effective drug delivery to the central nervous system for treatments of neurological diseases due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The function of the BBB is regulated by the physiological interactions between various types of cells in the neurovascular unit (NVU). In the NVU, the brain vasculature of the BBB is surrounded by brain pericytes, brain astrocytes, neurons, and microglia (Figure 1). Moreover, the NVU at the levels of arteries and veins includes contractile smooth muscle cells (Schaeffer and Iadecola, 2021).