3D-printed human brain and blood-vessel model to reveal effects of traumatic brain injury
Official title: Lasting Impacts: Dynamic, Fully Natural Bioprinted 3D Human Neurovascular Biomimetic Model to Study Traumatic Brain Injury Pathophysiology
Funded at Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC · NIH-11187065 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are building a 3D-printed human brain-and-blood-vessel model to see how traumatic brain injury leads to long-term brain damage and dementia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Livermore, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $588,081 |
| NIH project number | 5R33HL159947-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11187065 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with a history of traumatic brain injury, concussion, or related cognitive decline may be most relevant for donating samples or participating in linked clinical studies.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without brain injury or those seeking immediate treatment options for acute symptoms are unlikely to gain direct, immediate benefit from this lab-based project.
What this research studies
This project creates a fully natural, perfusable 3D human neurovascular unit using bioprinting and human-derived cells to mimic brain tissue and blood vessels. The team will apply controlled injury to the model and track microvascular damage, inflammatory responses, and tau protein changes linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy and Alzheimer-type pathology. The work combines expertise from a national lab and an Alzheimer’s disease center to link acute injury events to later degenerative changes. Findings are intended to reveal mechanisms, biomarkers, and potential targets for therapies that could prevent or slow long-term decline after TBI.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this model could identify how TBI damages brain blood vessels and triggers dementia-related changes, pointing to new ways to prevent or treat long-term consequences.
How similar studies have gone: Related organ-on-chip and 3D brain models have shown promise for modeling blood-brain barrier and injury responses, but fully natural perfusable human neurovascular models for TBI and tau-driven degeneration remain cutting-edge and not yet proven in clinical translation.
Where this research is happening
-
Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
Livermore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Moya, Monica Lizet — Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
- Study coordinator: Moya, Monica Lizet
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.