Studying Ischemic Stroke on a Chip

Study in a Sentence: Researchers developed a novel method that replicates the blood vessel structures in the brain and demonstrated its ability to model the biological underpinnings of ischemic stroke in humans.

Healthy for Humans: Ischemic stroke occurs when a blocked artery disrupts blood flow to the brain. To better understand how this happens and to develop new treatments, researchers need models of the human neurovascular unit (NVU) composed of blood vessels in the brain.

Redefining Research: This novel NVU on-a-chip model consists of multiple brain cell types cultured together, including neurons and the endothelial cells that make up brain vasculature, which reliably replicate the structure and function of the human NVU. Stroke mimicking conditions can be applied to the chip, allowing researchers to better understand ischemic stroke and to screen potential drugs for treatment.