Accessible In vitro model of traumatic injury induced by weight drop and percussion fluid

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is estimated to affect each year 40-50 million people worldwide. While clinical observations have confirmed a link between the development of neurodegenerative diseases (ND) and TBI, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. These complications are further exacerbated the mild TBI, the most common subclinical category. In vitro models provide a powerful tool for studying numerous alterations after trauma. Those systems are robust and allow controllable neuronal injury, bypassing some of the variability of in vivo models. However, many TBI studies have specialized in overcoming and understanding the mechanism of the distinct injury. In this regard, they work with custom-made or heavy equipment. Such platforms may not be within reach to all, in terms of means and knowledge, leading to a decrescence of the comparability and progress in the research scope of TBI. Therefore, to tackle this problem we have developed an accessible standard laboratory tool that can help characterize the risks associated with a single or repetitive mild head injury. We have engineered a highly modular weight drop TBI model, suitable from 96-wells to 6-wells plates to more specific devices such as MEA or Transwell. As the pressure wave passes through the cells, pressure gradients induce deformation, which, in turn, leads to injury. In this present study, we investigate in vitro, the effect of repetitive pressure at the cellular level by examining cell morphology, particularly axonal damage, and apoptosis.