Brain-Chip R1

The Brain-Chip R1 is an isogenic, iPSC-derived Organ-Chip model designed to recapitulate the cellular diversity and functional interactions of the human neurovascular unit (NVU). This model integrates five iPSC-derived cell types—neurons, astrocytes, microglia, pericytes, and Emulate’s proprietary brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs)—within a dynamic, perfused microenvironment. These features combine to create a robust, reproducible, and physiologically relevant platform for studying BBB transport and neuroinflammatory mechanisms.

Key Benefit:

• Fully Isogenic NVU Model
  Integrates five iPSC-derived cell types from a single donor line to recreate human neurovascular biology with reduced variability and improved reproducibility.
• Resting, Physiologically Relevant Sate
  Maintains quiescent glia, stable barrier function, and appropriate transporter expression to support more predictive BBB transport and neuroinflammation studies across a four-day experimental window.
• Direct-to-Chip, Ready-to-Use Workflow
  A simplified iPSC maturation process requires no differentiation or pre-plating steps, enabling consistent, ready-to-run experiments. From start to finish, experiments take just 12 days to complete.
• Low-Absorption Platform for BBB Studies
  Chip-R1’s minimally absorbing materials improve compound recovery and quantitative permeability measurements, supporting more accurate BBB transport assessments.