Questions Raised About Widely Used Blood-Brain Barrier Model

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"well-known in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier that is widely used in studies of neurodegenerative diseases and in preclinical research is made from the wrong kind of cells ... Researchers report in the study that cells produced using a popular lab protocol, which involves reprogramming human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), show gene expression patterns typical of the epithelial cells coating human organs, rather than of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) endothelial cells they’re supposed to mimic."

"Human PSC [pluripotent stem cells]-derived iBMECs  [induced brain microvascular endothelial cells] have been generated to study disease mechanisms and drug development for neurological disorders. However, their full transcriptomic characterization is unclear, which could result in inaccurate physiological studies and development of treatments with ineffective clinical outcomes. ..."

Questions Raised About Widely Used Blood-Brain Barrier Model | The Scientist Magazine® A study has sparked controversy by suggesting that cells made using a popular lab protocol have been misidentified, with potentially serious repercussions for brain research. Critics say the significance of the findings has been overstated.

Here is the link the referenced paper:

Pluripotent stem cell-derived epithelium misidentified as brain microvascular endothelium requires ETS factors to acquire vascular fate