{"id":2888,"date":"2024-10-23T09:09:03","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T09:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=2888"},"modified":"2024-10-23T09:09:03","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T09:09:03","slug":"stamp-sized-microchip-that-imitates-the-human-brain-could-speed-up-treatments-for-alzheimers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2888\/stamp-sized-microchip-that-imitates-the-human-brain-could-speed-up-treatments-for-alzheimers\/","title":{"rendered":"Stamp-sized microchip that imitates the human brain could speed up treatments for Alzheimer\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Advanced brain-on-a-chip technology developed by EU-funded researchers helps make potential treatments for neurological diseases more effective.<\/p>\n

By<\/em> Tom Cassauwers<\/p>\n

A human brain-on-a-chip sounds like something from a science fiction film, a gadget powering its cyborg villain.<\/p>\n

But chemical and biological engineer Dr Raquel Rodrigues at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) in Braga, Portugal, believes that such a device will be key to developing more effective treatments for serious neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe brain is a very complex and puzzling organ,\u201d said Rodrigues. \u201cWe need electronic monitoring of cells and experimental parts so we can learn how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Your brain on a chip<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks to research funding from the EU, Rodrigues and fellow researchers at the INL were able to build a unique brain-emulating microchip as part of a two-year research effort called BrainChip4MED that concluded in February 2024.<\/p>\n

The research included a 12-month secondment to Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital, part of Harvard Medical School and pioneers in the development of organs-on-a-chip (OoC) and biosensors.<\/p>\n

The ingenious, thumbnail-sized device developed by the researchers looks similar to chips in computers or smartphones, but is much more complex.<\/p>\n

The brain-on-a-chip simulates the way the human brain works, using a combination of chemistry, engineering and biology to create a complex micro-biosensor system for the real-time screening of new nanotherapeutics.<\/p>\n

Using a technology called microfluidics, the chip features multiple micro-channels \u2013 with sizes of tens to hundreds of micrometres \u2013 through which fluids can run. This makes it possible to analyse very small quantities of a product and test many samples at the same time, reducing the overall cost of testing.<\/p>\n

Protective brain barrier<\/strong><\/p>\n

A central goal of the researchers was to address the problem of how to develop medicines able to cross the so-called blood-brain barrier. This tightly locked layer of cells helps protect the brain from toxins, germs and other harmful substances that could be present in the blood.<\/p>\n

Only the very smallest molecules can get through the blood-brain barrier. Although this plays a very important protective role, it has also hindered efforts to develop drugs for the treatment of neurological disorders.<\/p>\n

Any medicine meant to treat the brain needs to go through this membrane to reach its target. But short of testing on humans, there are few good ways to determine how well a drug will be able to penetrate into the brain itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday there are only four commercially available Alzheimer\u2019s drugs, and none of those actually treat Alzheimer\u2019s, they just work on the symptoms,\u201d said Rodrigues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because pharmaceutical companies need to invest large amounts of funds in drugs they are unsure will pass the blood-brain barrier. So they don\u2019t,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A pharmaceutical company might spend millions developing a drug, only to find that it cannot get across the blood-brain barrier. The EU funding for the new brain-emulating chip developed at INL resolves this problem.<\/p>\n

Imitating life on a chip<\/strong><\/p>\n

The research team recreated the blood-brain barrier membrane on the chip using bioorganic material.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what sets our work apart,\u201d said Rodrigues. \u201cWe use a bio-membrane that more closely resembles the barrier in our brain. Other devices use physical barriers, made from polymeric components. We think a biological one is superior.\u201d<\/p>\n

With this new and improved brain-on-a-chip, researchers will be able to inject medicine under development into the chip to monitor its effects and see how well it is able to penetrate the brain.<\/p>\n

The aim is to change the way these kinds of medicines are developed. Today, this type of testing is mostly carried out on animals, but that comes with a range of ethical and practical downsides. These organs-on-a chip microchips offer a potential alternative to traditional animal testing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe brain of an animal is different from the brain of a human,\u201d said Rodrigues. \u201cThat\u2019s why a lot of medicines under development fail. Animal testing doesn\u2019t necessarily reproduce for humans.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stakes are high. Brain disorders are one of the greatest health challenges faced today. It is estimated that around 165 million Europeans are living with a brain disorder. One in three\u00a0people will suffer from a neurological and\/or mental disorder at some point in their lives.<\/p>\n

The global cost to European healthcare budgets is estimated to be \u20ac800 billion per year, and this is expected to increase with an ageing population.<\/p>\n

This includes well-known neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer\u2019s and Parkinson\u2019s disease. It also covers other disorders like epilepsy, depression, stroke, migraines, sleep disorders, traumatic brain injury, pain syndromes and addiction.<\/p>\n

Serious step forward<\/strong><\/p>\n

INL is a leading European research institute co-funded by the national governments of Portugal and Spain. It is also supported by the EU and by industry. Dr Manuel Ba\u00f1obre-L\u00f3pez, leader of the Nanomedicine Research Group at INL, supervised the work on the new chip.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt INL we have extensive expertise in microfluidics, the field that studies the kind of chip we made in BrainChip4MED,\u201d said Ba\u00f1obre-L\u00f3pez.<\/p>\n

Still, we might need to wait a bit longer for the brain-on-a-chip to be ready for use, he cautions.<\/p>\n

Even though the prototype is ready, further refinement is needed. It will also have to undergo rigorous testing to make sure it can be used for medicines that will eventually be administered to human patients. That process alone will take years.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the researchers are optimistic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to combat Alzheimer\u2019s, it\u2019s one of the most problematic neurological diseases in the world,\u201d said Rodrigues. \u201cAnd to do that, we need to find new drugs. Our technology is a serious step forward in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research in this article was funded by the Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. <\/em><\/p>\n

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