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Review

Microfluidic Platforms to Unravel Mysteries of Alzheimer’s Disease: How Far have We Come?

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Submitted:

17 June 2021

Posted:

18 June 2021

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Abstract
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a significant health concern worldwide with enormous social and economic impact globally. The gradual deterioration of cognitive functions and irreversible neuronal losses are primary etiological features of the disease. Even after decades of research, most therapeutic options are merely symptomatic, and drugs in clinical practice present numerous side effects. Lack of effective diagnostic techniques prevents the early prognosis of disease, resulting in a gradual deterioration in the quality of life. Furthermore, the mechanism of cognitive impairment and AD pathophysiology is poorly understood. Microfluidics exploits different microscale properties of fluids to mimic environments on microfluidic chip-like devices. These miniature multichambered devices can be used to grow cells and 3D tissues in vitro, analyze cell-to-cell communication, decipher the roles of neural cells like microglia, and gain insights into AD pathophysiology. This review focuses on the applications and impact of microfluidics on AD research. We discuss the technical challenges and possible solutions provided by this new cutting-edge technique to understand disease-associated pathways and mechanisms.
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Subject: Medicine and Pharmacology  -   Immunology and Allergy
Copyright: This open access article is published under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, which permit the free download, distribution, and reuse, provided that the author and preprint are cited in any reuse.
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