Abstract

A 3D Bioprinted Human Neurovascular Unit as a Tissue-in-a-well platform for Brain Disease Modeling and Drug Screening

Yen-Ting Tung, Research Fellow, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Through 3D bioprinted technology, we are developing a 3D bioprinted human neurovascular unit (NVU) in a 96-multiwell plate format to be used as a tissue-in-a-well assay platform for high through-put screening (HTS). This 3D NVU contains endothelial cells/pericytes/astrocytes which was bioprinted precisely on a well with a ring-shaped pattern. The ring shape geometry facilitates the quantitation of vasculogenic as well as angiogenesis by measuring the microvessels branching inward in the ring using endothelial cells expressing GFP and fluorescence-based high content imaging readers. This bioprinted vascularized NVU provide a robust tissue in as well model for screening and it has the versatility to increase its cellular and functional complexity by including additional neuronal or by including additional neuronal or immune cells inside the printed tissue.