title: High-throughput platforms for the screening of new therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases.
abstract: Despite the recent progress in the understanding of neurodegenerative disorders, a lack of solid fundamental knowledge on the etiology of many of the major neurodegenerative diseases has made it difficult to obtain effective therapies to treat these conditions. Scientists have been looking to carry out more-human-relevant studies, with strong statistical power, to overcome the limitations of preclinical animal models that have contributed to the failure of numerous therapeutics in clinical trials. Here, we identify currently existing platforms to mimic central nervous system tissues, healthy and diseased, mainly focusing on cell-based platforms and discussing their strengths and limitations in the context of the high-throughput screening of new therapeutic targets and drugs.
authors.affiliation: INEB - Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Daniela N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: INEB - Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Eva D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: INEB - Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: apego@ineb.up.pt.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Pêgo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases