A neurovascular-unit-on-a-chip for the evaluation of the restorative potential of stem cell therapies for ischaemic stroke
The therapeutic efficacy of stem cells transplanted into an ischaemic brain depends primarily on the responses of the neurovascular unit. Here, we report the development and applicability of a functional neurovascular unit on a microfluidic chip as a microphysiological model of ischaemic stroke that...
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Published in | Nature biomedical engineering Vol. 5; no. 8; pp. 847 - 863 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
London
Nature Publishing Group UK
01.08.2021
Nature Publishing Group |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The therapeutic efficacy of stem cells transplanted into an ischaemic brain depends primarily on the responses of the neurovascular unit. Here, we report the development and applicability of a functional neurovascular unit on a microfluidic chip as a microphysiological model of ischaemic stroke that recapitulates the function of the blood–brain barrier as well as interactions between therapeutic stem cells and host cells (human brain microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes, microglia and neurons). We used the model to track the infiltration of a number of candidate stem cells and to characterize the expression levels of genes associated with post-stroke pathologies. We observed that each type of stem cell showed unique neurorestorative effects, primarily by supporting endogenous recovery rather than through direct cell replacement, and that the recovery of synaptic activities is correlated with the recovery of the structural and functional integrity of the neurovascular unit rather than with the regeneration of neurons.
A microphysiological model of ischaemic stroke consisting of a functional neurovascular unit on a microfluidic chip allows for the systematic characterization of the neurorestorative outcomes of candidate stem cell therapies. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Z.L. & K.-M.K. designed and performed the experiments, and analyzed and interpreted the data; J.P. designed experiment; H.-J.J. & H. W. performed the experiments; W.L. conceived and supervised the project, designed and performed experiments, analyzed and interpreted the data. The manuscript was mainly written by W.L. with all authors’ contribution. These authors contributed equally Author contributions |
ISSN: | 2157-846X 2157-846X |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41551-021-00744-7 |