Note applicative

Confocal Imaging of in vitro BBB model using idenTx platform

aprile 2023

In vitro human Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) models are essential to assess the neurotherapeutic transport efficacy in pre-clinical studies and to understand the pathological neurovascular functions in various diseases. This application note introduces an example of building a robust and cost-effective in vitro BBB model using AIM Biotech’s 3D cell culture chips. Through the co-culture of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (EC), human brain pericytes (PC) and human astrocytes (AC), a microvascular network within a fibrin gel was self-organized. A Nikon confocal microscope contributed to monitor physiologically relevant structure of the 3D BBB model stained by cell-specific and BBB-specific markers. Also, quantitative image analysis was used to measure its permeability comparable to in vivo values measured in rat brains.