Development of a direct contact astrocyte-human cerebral microvessel endothelial cells blood-brain barrier coculture model.

Objectives: In conventional in-vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) models, primary and immortalized brain microvessel endothelial cell (BMEC) lines are often cultured in a monolayer or indirect coculture or triculture configurations with astrocytes or pericytes, for screening permeation of therapeutic or potentially neurotoxic compounds. In each of these cases, the physiological relevancy associated with the direct contact between the BMECs, pericytes and astrocytes that form the BBB and resulting synergistic interactions are lost. We look to overcome this limitation with a direct contact coculture model.