| Title: |
The Blood-Brain Barrier |
| Description: |
This image shows a dense network of blood vessels (red) and nuclei (blue) obtained from mouse brain tissue that was optically cleared to look deeper into the tissue than otherwise possible. The brain’s blood vessels are nearly impermeable, allowing only the passage of key nutrients while blocking that of harmful substances. Unfortunately, this blood-brain barrier (BBB) also excludes most therapeutics. By designing drug-containing nanoparticles that can “hitchhike” across the BBB, researchers hope to finally penetrate the barrier, and deliver life-saving drugs to cancers in the brain. Pictured here is brain tissue before exposure to the experimental nanoparticles.
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| Topics/Categories: |
Anatomy -- Nervous System |
| Type: |
Color, Photo (JPEG format) |
| Source: |
California Institute of Technology |
| Creator: |
Emily Wyatt, Mark Davis |
| Date Created: |
December 2016 |
| Date Added: |
February 15, 2017 |
| Reuse Restrictions: |
None - This image is in the public domain and can be freely reused. Please credit the source and, where possible, the creator listed above.
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