Open Access

REVIEW

In vitro engineered models of neurodegenerative diseases

ZEHRA GÜL MORÇIMEN¹, ŞEYMA TAŞDEMIR², AYLIN ŞENDEMIR^3,4,*

1 Bioengineering Department, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Ege University, Izmir, 35040, Türkiye
2 Bioengineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Science, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, 45110, Türkiye
3 Bioengineering Department, Ege University, Izmir, 35040, Türkiye
4 Department of Biomedical Technologies, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Ege University, Izmir, 35040, Türkiye

* Corresponding Author: AYLIN ŞENDEMIR. Email:

BIOCELL 2024, 48(1), 79-96. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2023.045361

Received 24 August 2023; Accepted 21 November 2023; Issue published 30 January 2024

Abstract

Neurodegeneration is a catastrophic process that develops progressive damage leading to functional and structural loss of the cells of the nervous system and is among the biggest unavoidable problems of our age. Animal models do not reflect the pathophysiology observed in humans due to distinct differences between the neural pathways, gene expression patterns, neuronal plasticity, and other disease-related mechanisms in animals and humans. Classical in vitro cell culture models are also not sufficient for pre-clinical drug testing in reflecting the complex pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. Today, modern, engineered techniques are applied to develop multicellular, intricate in vitro models and to create the closest microenvironment simulating biological, biochemical, and mechanical characteristics of the in vivo degenerating tissue. In THIS review, the capabilities and shortcomings of scaffold-based and scaffold-free techniques, organoids, and microfluidic models that best reflect neurodegeneration in vitro in the biomimetic framework are discussed.

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Keywords

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