Blood vessels do more than carry blood, they also keep your brain healthy
The human brain is the most complex and delicate of all the body’s organs, and the one most in need of protection from toxins and other harmful substances — including those we deliberately ingest. But to understand the effects drugs and disease have on the brain, scientists have needed to study how blood vessels, brain cells, and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) influence each other. That’s been a challenge. In vitro models, like cells in a dish, have been too simple, and in vivo models — human brain tissue — too complex. Now, as reported in Nature Biotechnology, researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have created a “just right” model of the BBB-brain interface using microfluidically linked organ chips that react to drugs like methamphetamine the same way the human brain does. The linked chips give researchers an unprecedented look into how the brain’s vasculature influences and regulates its...