Will Costain
Seminars
Thursday 11th December 2025
Roundtable Discussion: Advancing In Vitro Models to Better Recapitulate the Blood-Brain Barrier: Future Directions & Innovations to Ensure Translatability
2:00 pm
- What are the critical gaps in current in vitro BBB models that hinder their predictive accuracy?
- How can we better integrate multiple cell types, including fibroblasts and immune components, to replicate the BBB’s immune environment?
- How can in vitro models better reflect intracellular trafficking and sorting processes critical to BBB transcytosis?
- When and how should complex models be integrated into screening workflows, and how do we balance physiological relevance with scalability?
- What roles can AI and model engineering play in building more predictive BBB platforms and accelerating novel shuttle discovery?
Moderator Feedback & Audience Debate
Moderators will be assigned to each roundtable to facilitate discussion and collate the findings. Following the roundtable discussions, they will present back to the entire delegation and open a wider audience debate.
Thursday 11th December 2025
Evaluating the Potential of Alternative Receptors Beyond TfR1 to Enhance CNS Access
11:30 am
- What properties make a receptor suitable for CNS transcytosis?
- How do you evaluate receptor internalization and trafficking?
- Are we reaching the limits of TfR, or is there more to explore?
- What’s needed to validate a “novel” receptor target clinically?
- Couple single-domain antibodies to Fc regions or other antibodies to enhance pharmacokinetics and prolong half-life
