3D Bioprinted Neural-Like Tissue as a Platform to Study Neurotropism of Mouse-Adapted SARS-CoV-2.

The effects of neuroinvasion by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) become clinically relevant due to the numerous neurological symptoms observed in Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients during infection and post-COVID syndrome or long COVID. This study reports the biofabrication of a 3D bioprinted neural-like tissue as a proof-of-concept platform for a more representative study of SARS-CoV-2 brain infection. Bioink is optimized regarding its biophysical properties and is mixed with murine neural cells to construct a 3D model of COVID-19 infection.

3D Bioprinting of Murine Cortical Astrocytes for Engineering Neural-Like Tissue.

Astrocytes are glial cells with an essential role in the central nervous system (CNS), including neuronal support and functionality. These cells also respond to neural injuries and act to protect the tissue from degenerative events. In vitro studies of astrocytes' functionality are important to elucidate the mechanisms involved in such events and contribute to developing therapies to treat neurological disorders.

Notch1 and Galectin-3 Modulate Cortical Reactive Astrocyte Response After Brain Injury.

After a brain lesion, highly specialized cortical astrocytes react, supporting the closure or replacement of the damaged tissue, but fail to regulate neural plasticity. Growing evidence indicates that repair response leads astrocytes to reprogram, acquiring a partially restricted regenerative phenotype and neural stem cells (NSC) hallmarks . However, the molecular factors involved in astrocyte reactivity, the reparative response, and their relation to adult neurogenesis are poorly understood and remain an area of intense investigation in regenerative medicine.