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Department of Surgery Department of Surgery
  1. Department of Surgery
  2. Divisions
  3. Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, Burns and Acute Care Surgery
  4. Research
  5. Integrated Research Laboratories in Human Inflammation
  6. CNS Injury

Blood Brain Barrier Integrity

The blood brain barrier (BBB) is well-known for its capacity to limit access of the brain to the circulation. Our BBB research projects are focused on the three main areas. First, we are evaluating the peptide hormone ghrelin and VNS as anti-inflammatory strategies that protect from traumatic brain injury (TBI)-induced neurological deficits and breakdown of the BBB. Second, we are examining Ecrg4 as a mediator of microglia activation and neuroepithelial integrity in glioma and penetrating brain injury. Third, we are characterizing the mechanism and preclinical relevance of vascular normalization using genetic models or pharmacological inhibitors of focal adhesion kinase. In combination, these studies provide a integrated approach for the study of BBB integrity to better understand mechanisms that regulate immune and vascular homeostasis.

Publication Highlights

Reduced glioma infiltration in Src-deficient mice. Lund CV, Nguyen MTN, Owens GC, Pakchoian AJ, Shaterian A, Kruse CA, Eliceiri BP. J Neurooncol 2006 May; 78(1): 19-29. Epub 2006 Mar 22. 

Traumatic brain injury and intestinal dysfunction: uncovering the neuro-enteric axis. Bansal V, Costantini TW, Kroll L, Peterson CY, Loomis WH, Putnam JG, Eliceiri BP, Baird A, Coimbra R. J Neurotrauma 2009 Aug; 26(8): 1353-9. PMCID: PMC2989839. 

The deployment of adenovirus-containing gene activated matrices onto severed axons after central nervous system injury leads to transgene expression in target neuronal cell bodies. Gonzalez AM, Berlanga O, Leadbeater WE, Cooper-Charles L, Sims K, Logan A, Eliceiri B, Berry M, Baird A. J Gene Med 2009 Aug; 11(8): 679-88. 

Glioma-induced remodeling of the neurovascular unit. Lee J, Lund-Smith C, Borboa A, Gonzalez AM, Baird A, Eliceiri BP. Brain Res 2009 Sep 8; 1288: 125-34. PMCID: PMC2735571 

The Hormone Ghrelin Prevents Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Intestinal Dysfunction. Bansal V, Ryu SK, Blow C, Costantini T, Loomis W, Eliceiri BP, Baird A, Wolf P, Coimbra R. J Neurotrauma 2010 Dec; 27(12): 2255-60. PMCID: PMC3304249. 

Conditional deletion of the focal adhesion kinase FAK alters remodeling of the blood-brain barrier in glioma. Lee J, Borboa A, Chun HB, Baird A, Eliceiri BP. Cancer Res 2010 Dec 15; 70(24): 10131-40. PMCID: PMC3059220. 

Traumatic brain injury and recovery mechanisms: peptide modulation of periventricular neurogenic regions by the choroid plexus-CSF nexus. Johanson C, Stopa E, Baird A, Sharma H. J Neural Transm 2011 Jan; 118(1): 115-33. PMCID: PMC3026679. 

Targeting choroid plexus epithelia and ventricular ependyma for drug delivery to the central nervous system. Gonzalez AM, Leadbeater WE, Burg M, Sims K, Terasaki T, Johanson CE, Stopa EG, Eliceiri BP, Baird A. BMC Neurosci 2011 Jan 7; 12: 4. PMCID: PMC3025905.

Non-invasive quantification of brain tumor-induced astrogliosis. Lee J, Borboa AK, Baird A, Eliceiri BP. BMC Neurosci 2011 Jan 19; 12(1): 9. PMCID: PMC3033849.

Esophageal cancer-related gene-4 is a choroid plexus-derived injury response gene: evidence for a biphasic response in early and late brain injury. Podvin S, Gonzalez AM, Miller MC, Dang X, Botfield H, Donahue JE, Kurabi A, Boissaud-Cooke M, Rossi R, Leadbeater WE, Johanson CE, Coimbra R, Stopa EG, Eliceiri BP, Baird A. PLoS One 2011; 6(9): e24609. PMCID: PMC3173480. 

Ecrg4 expression and its product augurin in the choroid plexus: impact on fetal brain development, cerebrospinal fluid homeostasis and neuroprogenitor cell response to CNS injury. Gonzalez AM, Podvin S, Lin SY, Miller MC, Botfield H, Leadbeater WE, Roberton A, Dang X, Knowling SE, Cardenas-Galindo E, Donahue JE, Stopa EG, Johanson CE, Coimbra R, Eliceiri BP, Baird A. Fluids Barriers CNS 2011 Jan 18; 8(1): 6. PMCID PMC3042980. 

Ghrelin prevents disruption of the blood-brain barrier after traumatic brain injury. Lopez N, Krzyzaniak M, Chelsea B, Ortiz-Pomales Y, Hageny AM, Eliceiri B, Coimbra R, Bansal V. Journal of Neurotrauma 2012 Jan 20; 29(2): 385-93. Epub 2011 Oct 26. 

Vagal nerve stimulation decreases blood-brain barrier disruption after traumatic brain injury. Lopez NE, Krzyzaniak MJ, Costantini TW, Putnam J, Hageny AM, Eliceiri B, Coimbra R, Bansal V. J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2012 Jun; 72(6): 1562-6. 

Vascular normalization in cerebral angiogenesis: friend or foe? Lee J, Baird A, Eliceiri BP. Methods Mol Biol 2014; 1135: 25-34.