“Mechanisms of Blood-Brain Barrier Development, Breakdown and Repair in the CNS”

Dritan Agalliu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Departments of Neurology, Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center Brain endothelial cells form a paracellular and transcellular barrier to blood-borne solutes via tight junctions and scarce endocytotic vesicles. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a pivotal role in the healthy and diseased central nervous system (CNS). BBB damage contributes to increased CNS influx of serum proteins and immune cells, leading to severe pathological and neurological deficits in both ischemic stroke and multiple sclerosis; yet the cell biological mechanisms of how the paracellular BBB dysfunction occurs in these neurological disorders are not very well understood. Dr. Agalliu will present the latest research studies from his laboratory that address the cell biological mechanisms of blood-brain barrier dysfunction in neurological diseases associated with neurovascular dysfunction such as ischemic stroke and multiple sclerosis. In addition, he will discuss the mechanisms by which Wnt/beta-catenin signaling regulates BBB formation during CNS development and its potential role in BBB repair in neurological diseases.