Importance of the microenvironment in cerebral in vitro models for phenotypic screening (Abstract of Veronique’s thesis)

About 90% of drug candidates fail in clinical trials, for efficacy- and toxicity-related reasons, which often involve the Central Nervous System (CNS). This high failure rate highlights a lack of relevance in experimental models used upstream, including human in vitro models. Indeed, they do not take into account the complexity Read more…

Impact of neurodegenerative diseases on extracellular space organization and diffusion through hyaluronan remodeling

Soria et al. has published this year an interesting study about the modification leading by synucleopathy on the nanoscale organization and diffusivity of the extracellular space, through hyaluronan remodeling. Indeed the extracellular space (ECS), composed by the interstitial fluid and the extracellular matrix (ECM), plays several roles in health and Read more…

3D co-culture of dopaminergic neurons and astrocytes in BIOMIMESYS® Brain to study Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease affects more than 6 million people worldwide. This neurodegenerative disease is characterized by the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, with intracellular accumulation of alpha-synuclein aggregates known as Lewi bodies. This neuronal loss leads to a decrease in the neurotransmitter dopamine that cause mainly Read more…