A New 3D Human Model for Alzheimer’s Disease Research

Study in a Sentence: Researchers recently developed a novel model of Alzheimer’s disease. The model platform uses microchannels and two chambers to mimic blood flow and allow important cellular factors to interact, thus recapitulating the molecular mechanisms of the disease process.

Healthy for Humans: This model provides a versatile, modifiable experimental system that can be used to better understand the mechanisms of disease and potentially discover human-relevant drugs or therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers were able to halt the inflammation process causing damage to brain cells by blocking two molecules in microglial cells, a key mediator of the inflammation in the brain that is associated with Alzheimer's.

Redefining Research: This new Alzheimer's model improved on the previous “Alzheimer’s in a dish” developed by this group by incorporating the key cellular players of the inflammatory process in the brain associated with Alzheimer's.