Endothelial cells

Examine how endothelial cells, smooth-muscle cells and pericytes establish vascular networks and sustain organ function through development and aging. Mechanistic sessions connect RNA and chromatin regulation with organelle signalling, mechanotransduction and tissue remodelling. Studies of vascular heterogeneity and inter-organ communication link these processes to malformations and disease, while imaging, multimodal omics and computational methods provide routes toward therapeutic discovery. 10–15 January: Sunday check-in starts at 14:00 and scientific introductions at 19:30; Friday departur

The meeting examines how endothelial cells communicate with surrounding tissue to control blood-vessel growth, organ function and disease. Topics include organ-specific signals, vessel patterning, angiocrine factors and tissue homeostasis, with an emphasis on unresolved endothelial–parenchymal interactions. Scientists from academia, research institutes, pharmaceutical and biotechnology research will discuss experimental technologies and therapeutic implications. Talks, poster sessions and discussion focus on emerging and unpublished research. Applicants need a science or engineering bachelor’s

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain and provides oxygen and nutrients for the central nervous system (CNS), but it also restricts the entry of pharmaceutical drugs into the brain. Cell culture models are essential to investigate cerebral drug delivery. Microfluidic chip devices allow complex and physiological modelling of the BBB. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) based technologies, the formation and use of human brain organoids provide simplified 3D modeling. Our aim was to (1) create and optimize a new, dynamic cell culture lab-on-a-chip model by the co-culture of a BBB mode

The dysfunction or disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been associated with the development and progression of many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). However, most in vitro BBB models are static, complicating the understanding of disease pathophysiology. With that, our study aims to develop a microfluidic device to better study the relationship between neurodegenerative diseases and the BBB in vitro. The device, printed using polydimethylsiloxane, includes a compartment for a hydrogel containing neurons and astrocytes to mimic cerebral parenchyma and a m

…the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor by endothelial cells (e

Endothelial cells (ECs) tightly regulate the passage of ions, molecules, and cells from the blood into the brain and vice versa as part of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Astrocytes aid in the formation and maintenance of the BBB. Aside from direct communication, astrocytes and ECs also release extracellular vesicles (EVs) to communicate with each other and other cells. EVs carry genetic information, proteins, and other signalling molecules. This cargo changes relative to the donor cell state, which can influence different processes in recipient cells.This project investigates this bi-direction

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and the consequent alteration of solute and ion transport play a pivotal role in the onset and progression of many neurological diseases, including epilepsy. Among the players that have been shown to modulate BBB function, our group recently demonstrated that Kv7 channels, a family of voltage-gated potassium channels, are critical modulators of barrier permeability, both in physiological conditions and experimental models of seizures. Accumulating evidence suggest that the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is altered during epilepsy and affects BBB permeabilit

…levels of proinflammatory immune cells and cytokines in circulation. Endothelial cells are critical components of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), as they interface directly with immune cells and their released factors, which can enter the

The development of the brain’s vascular system is a predominantly prenatal process in mammalian species and is required for neurogenesis and further brain development. Our recent work on fetal pig has revealed that many neurodevelopmental processes start well before birth and proceed rapidly reaching near-mature status already around birth. Here, we analyzed the development of vasculature in the cortical layers from embryonic day (E) 70 onwards (gestation in pig lasts 114 days). In all cortical layers, vessel volume from total brain volume at E100 resembled that of a postnatal day (P) 30 pigle

Brain aging leads to cognitive decline and is the main risk factor for sporadic forms of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. While brain cell- and tissue-intrinsic factors are likely key determinants of the aging process recent studies document a remarkable susceptibility of the brain to circulatory factors. Thus, blood borne factors from young mice or humans are sufficient to slow aspects of brain aging and improve cognitive function in old mice and, vice versa, factors from old mice are detrimental for young mice and impair cognition. We found evidence that the cerebrov