In vitro human stem cell-based blood-brain-barrier platform to study drug delivery and neurological diseases (3D-hiPSC-BBB)

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a selectively permeable barrier that protects the brain by separating it from the bloodstream and ensuring a stable environment for neuronal activity. Disorders of the BBB are associated with various neurological diseases. Despite their importance for brain health, the barrier properties of the BBB hamper the development of neuropharmaceuticals by preventing most small molecules and biologics from reaching the brain. Human-based, physiologically relevant models are therefore required for research into the human BBB.

The “3D-hiPSC-BHS” project led by Prof. Dr. Ebru Ercan Herbst aims to develop an advanced in vitro model of the BBB. This model uses artificially produced human stem cells to generate different brain cell types in a 3D nanofiber transwell system. This would allow the permeability of drugs through the BBB to be assessed, the effects on brain cells to be studied and the molecular mechanisms underlying BBB destruction in neurological diseases to be investigated.

Prof. Dr. Ercan Herbst is a cell biologist and neuroscientist with a focus on molecular mechanisms in autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.