Search

Microphysiological system (MPS), a new technology for in vitro testing platforms, have been acknowledged as a strong tool for drug development. In the central nervous system (CNS), the blood‒brain barrier (BBB) limits the permeation of circulating substances from the blood vessels to the brain, thereby protecting the CNS from circulating xenobiotic compounds. At the same time, the BBB hinders drug development by introducing challenges at various stages, such as pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), safety assessment, and efficacy assessment. To solve these problems, efforts are being made to develop a BBB MPS, particularly of a humanized type. In this study, we suggested minimal essential benchmark items to establish the BBB-likeness of a BBB MPS; these criteria support end users in determining the appropriate range of applications for a candidate BBB MPS. Furthermore, we examined these benchmark items in a two-dimensional (2D) humanized tricellular static transwell BBB MPS, the most conventional design of BBB MPS with human cell lines. Among the benchmark items, the efflux ratios of P -gp and BCRP showed high reproducibility in two independent facilities, while the directional transports meditated through Glut1 or TfR were not confirmed. We have organized the protocols of the experiments described above as standard operating procedures (SOPs). We here provide the SOPs with the flow chart including entire procedure and how to apply each SOP. Our study is important developmental step of BBB MPS towards the social acceptance, which enable end users to check and compare the performance the BBB MPSs., Competing Interests: All authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2023 The Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is regarded as a challenge in health system. Several studies have assessed the immune-related aspect of this disorder to identify the host-related factors that affect the course of COVID-19. microRNAs (miRNAs) as potent regulators of immune responses have gained much attention in this regard. Recent studies have shown aberrant expression of miRNAs in COVID-19 in association with disease course. Differentially expressed miRNAs have been enriched in pathways related with inflammation and antiviral immune response. miRNAs have also been regarded as potential therapeutic targets in COVID-19, particularly for management of pathological consequences of COVID-19. In the current review, we summarize the data about dysregulation of miRNAs in COVID-19., Competing Interests: The authors declare they have no conflict of interest., (© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)