Synthetic blood vessels and uses thereof
The present invention provides a synthetic blood vessel and use thereof in drug screening, drug delivery and prognoses of cerebrovascular dysfunction.
1. A method of determining the risk for a cerebrovascular dysfunction in a subject in need thereof comprising:
i) providing a synthetic blood vessel;
ii) providing an Aβ peptide;
iii) contacting the synthetic blood vessel with a sample from the subject; and
iv) determining the level of Aβ deposition or transport in the sample,
wherein the subject has an increased risk for a cerebrovascular dysfunction if the level of Aβ deposition is increased or if Aβ transport is reduced.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring the risk for the cerebrovascular dysfunction.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the sample comprises HDL or apoE or a combination thereof.
4. The method of claim 2 further comprising providing a monocyte cell and determining the level of monocyte adhesion.
5. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining the level of endothelial cell activation.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the cerebrovascular dysfunction is type II diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), ischemic brain injury, stroke, dementia, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the subject is a human.