Scientists have developed a multiple organ-on-chip system to help study how neurotoxins move from the gut to the brain. The model system simulated how a neurotoxin found in the gut can trigger the brain cell death seen in Parkinson’s disease in a proof-of-concept study from the UK Quadram Institute, University of Hull, University of Essex and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Published in the journal Biomicrofluidics, the study shows how their system recreates the gut-brain axis. This bidirectional communication network links the gastrointestinal tract to the nervous system of the brain, influencing everything from digestion to mood and neurodegenerative diseases.
