Guest Editors
Teresa Barra
University of Naples, Federico II, Department of Biology, Naples, Italy
Dr. Teresa Barra got her PhD in Biology at the University of Naples Federico II, Department of Biology, in 2022. During her PhD, Dr. Barra studied enhance drug delivery of neuropeptides through Central Nervous System. She worked on static and dynamic cell culture environment to recreate an in vitro physiological blood-brain barrier (BBB) in order to study neuropeptide delivery across the BBB to brain cells. In collaboration with Prof. Salvatore Valiante, her research now focuses to develop an in vitro BBB fluid-dynamic model, employing a bioreactor in which different brain cells can be seeded together in a full working three-dimensional structure. This can be useful for the deep understanding the mechanisms underlaying many age-related disorders and evaluate in vitro effective therapeutic approach.
Salvatore Valiante
University of Naples, Federico II, Department of Biology, Naples, Italy
Prof. Salvatore Valiante received his PhD in Biology the University of Naples in 2002. Early in his career he worked on cell biology, endocrinology and histology, investigating neuropeptide and related receptor expression in different vertebrates including humans. Since 2015, he is mainly focused on the study of enhanced drug delivery across blood-brain barrier to improve the development of effective therapies against neurodegenerative diseases. To this end, he works by three-dimensional approach to obtain spheroids of neuronal cells to study different pharmacological targets; the rebuild of in vitro physiological blood-brain barrier (BBB) 3D model; the use of modern 3D technologies to analyze 3D samples such Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy. Results of his research have been published on international journals with high scientific impact. Prof. Valiante also held three courses at the University of Naples, Federico II: Neuroscience, Human and Ocular anatomy and histology, and Advanced cell biology methods.
Collection Overview
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an anatomical-functional structure formed by the basement membranes and by the processes of the astrocytes that cover them. It protects the brain tissue from fluctuations in the plasma component, influenced by changes in activity and the ingestion of nutrients. Moreover, the BBB is responsible for protecting neurons from all the harmful elements in the blood while allowing the passage of substances required for metabolic functions with the help of specific transport systems.
Some therapeutic compounds cannot cross the BBB due to the rigid regulation of brain homeostasis. Limited entry of therapeutic compounds into the CNS leads to ineffective treatment of neurological disorders and/or trauma. The ability to recreate an in vitro model of the BBB model and reproduce it as faithfully possible physiological conditions associated with it represents a crucial point for managing neurodegenerative diseases and formulating a good pharmacological approach. The formation of an in vitro BBB can help test many drugs through the transport mechanism across them. The objective of this BBB collection is to show different in vitro BBB static and dynamic models (microfluidic and millifluidic systems, organ-on-chip, 3D bioprinting) to study the physiological mechanisms understanding of the interaction between BBB and brain and to develop therapeutic strategies and allow their application in the biological research and preclinical field.
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