Johns Hopkins Team Unravels Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption

Researchers use stem cell technology to study how Alzheimer's and other diseases impact the brain's protective barrier.

Apr. 17, 2026 at 12:58am

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A highly structured abstract painting in soft, earthy tones depicting the intricate physiological mechanisms of the blood-brain barrier, using sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise biological spirals to convey the barrier's complex structure and function.Innovative stem cell models are helping researchers decipher the complex mechanisms behind blood-brain barrier disruption, a critical factor in a wide range of neurological diseases.Baltimore Today

Peter Searson, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, is leading a team that is using stem cell technology to develop tissue-engineered models of the small blood vessels in the brain. These models allow the researchers to study how the blood-brain barrier, a critical interface that regulates what substances can enter the brain, becomes disrupted in diseases like Alzheimer's, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.

Why it matters

The blood-brain barrier is essential for maintaining the brain's tightly controlled biochemical environment, but its disruption is increasingly recognized as a major contributor to a wide range of neurological diseases and conditions. Understanding the mechanisms behind blood-brain barrier dysfunction could lead to new targeted therapies to prevent or slow the progression of these debilitating brain disorders.

The details

Searson's lab is using the tissue-engineered models to study how various stressors like inflammation, poor blood flow, and aging can lead to blood-brain barrier disruption. By replicating these effects in the models, the researchers aim to decipher the complex relationship between specific risk factors and the different ways the barrier can become compromised. The team is also genetically engineering the cells to harbor mutations associated with brain diseases, allowing them to test potential treatments.

  • Searson's work is primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health.
  • In the spring of 2025, the NIH launched a new initiative emphasizing human models, prompting Searson's lab to accelerate its development of tissue-engineered blood-brain barrier models.

The players

Peter Searson

A core researcher in the Institute for NanoBioTechnology and a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, leading a team studying the blood-brain barrier.

Johns Hopkins University

The academic institution where Searson and his team are conducting their research on the blood-brain barrier.

National Institutes of Health

The primary funder of Searson's research, which faces growing uncertainty around future funding as federal budgets tighten and priorities shift.

Adult Brain Tumor Consortium

A group that Searson participated in to help identify better strategies for delivering drugs across the blood-brain barrier.

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What they’re saying

“The blood-brain barrier is a security system that enables the brain to function in a tightly controlled biochemical environment.”

— Peter Searson, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

“A major challenge in treating diseases of the brain is getting drugs across the blood-brain barrier.”

— Peter Searson, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

What’s next

Searson's lab plans to continue using the tissue-engineered blood-brain barrier models to study how various risk factors and disease-associated genetic mutations impact the barrier's function, with the goal of identifying new therapeutic targets and strategies for delivering drugs to the brain.

The takeaway

Deciphering the complex mechanisms behind blood-brain barrier disruption is crucial for developing effective treatments for a wide range of neurological diseases and conditions. Searson's work using innovative stem cell-based models represents an important step forward in this critical area of brain health research.