An Organ-On-A-Chip Engineered Platform to Study the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Neurodegeneration

Manuela Teresa Raimondi; Diego Albani; Carmen Giordano

doi:10.1016/j.molmed.2019.07.006

An Organ-On-A-Chip Engineered Platform to Study the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Neurodegeneration

Trends Mol Med. 2019 Sep;25(9):737-740. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2019.07.006. Epub 2019 Aug 14.

Authors

Manuela Teresa Raimondi¹, Diego Albani², Carmen Giordano³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering 'Giulio Natta', Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
² Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
³ Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering 'Giulio Natta', Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: carmen.giordano@polimi.it.

PMID: 31422037
DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2019.07.006

Abstract

After decades of research, the etiology of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease is still mostly unknown. Recent findings indicate that the microorganisms in the human gut might be involved in neurodegenerative pathways. Here, we discuss an innovative groundbreaking bioengineering approach that could make a difference in this intriguing scenario.

Keywords: microbiota–gut–brain axis; neurodegeneration; organ-on-a-chip; personalized medicine.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Brain / metabolism*
Disease Susceptibility*
Gastrointestinal Microbiome
Humans
In Vitro Techniques
Intestines*
Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*
Microbiota*
Neurodegenerative Diseases / etiology*
Neurodegenerative Diseases / metabolism*
Neurodegenerative Diseases / pathology
Precision Medicine
Tissue Culture Techniques