James McGrath, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Biomedical Engineering and director of the Translational Center for Barrier Microphysiological Systems (TraCe-bMPS), leads a team that develops and leverages tissue chips to study diseases where two different types of tissue meet, including at the blood-brain barrier. A pair of recent studies published in Advanced Science and Materials Today Bio used the chips to identify how the blood-brain barrier breaks down under serious threats, which could lead to new treatments to keep brains healthy.

When inflammation harms the brain

When a patient undergoes a major surgery or contracts an infection such as sepsis, it can excessively inflame organs throughout the body including the brain, sometimes leading to long-lasting cognitive impairment, especially in older patients.