MAE Seminar: The blood-brain barrier and beyond: Complex in vitro models for transport and neurological diseas

Details

MAE Seminar: The blood-brain barrier and beyond: Complex in vitro models for transport and neurological disease
Date: March 12, 2026
Time: 12:50 PM Location: MAE-A 303

Dr. Roger Kamm
Cecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Departments of Biological Engineering and Mechanical Engineering

Abstract
With an aging population, neurodegenerative diseases are increasing at a rate that far outpaces other major disorders. Recent advances in the pharmaceutical industry have yielded new drugs that slow cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, with many additional candidates in the development pipeline. This progress, together with improved understanding of the factors that drive diverse neurodegenerative diseases, has intensified interest in both optimizing drug delivery to the brain and assessing therapeutic impact on symptom alleviation and disease progression. Innovative in vitro platforms are therefore needed to screen emerging therapies and enhance delivery of biologics to the central nervous system. This presentation will highlight our human iPS cell–based models that recapitulate the in vivo morphology and function of the neurovascular unit. We will discuss applications of these models to elucidate and promote the clearance of toxic amyloid from the brain in neurodegenerative diseases, with the goal of building a holistic framework of transport pathways relevant to both therapeutic agents and amyloid species.

Biography
Kamm’s research focuses on problems at the interface of biology and mechanics, formerly in cell and molecular mechanics, and now in engineered living systems. Current interests are in developing models of healthy and diseased organ function using microfluidic technologies, with a focus on vascularization, cancer and neurological disease. Kamm is a member of the National Academies of Medicine and Engineering. He is co-founder of AIM Biotech, a manufacturer of microfluidic systems for 3D culture.

Faculty Host: Dr. Xin Tang