Trailhead Biosystems® Develops iPSC-Derived Vascular Leptomeningeal Cells

Beachwood, Ohio, March 5, 2025 - Trailhead Biosystems, Inc. (trailbio.com), a biotechnology company pioneering the creation of iPSC-derived human cells at scale for drug discovery and cell therapy, proudly announces the launch of TrailBio® Vascular Leptomeningeal Cells. As the first of their kind on the market, these unique cells provide researchers with a new tool to directly study the blood-brain barrier's permeability and regulatory mechanisms. This advancement represents a significant step forward for drug discovery and disease modeling within the human brain.

Vascular leptomeningeal cells (VLMCs) are crucial components of the human blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB consists of at least four cell types: VLMCs and astrocytes on the neuronal side, and pericytes and endothelial cells on the vascular side, forming a tightly regulated barrier that controls substance passage within the brain. VLMCs are components of a perivascular space known as the Virchow-Robin Space that allows cerebrospinal fluid to equilibrate in the brain and cleanse the neuronal environment during sleep. This process, known as glymphatic flow, is critical for brain health.

Although the detailed functions of VLMCs are still being elucidated, literature suggests they modulate BBB permeability by regulating tight junction proteins and other molecules in response to physiological and pathological conditions. VLMCs share features with pericytes but are of glial origin and distinct in their location. Similar to pericytes, they are highly activated upon TLR-stimulation, implicating them in neuroinflammatory control. TrailBio® Vascular Leptomeningeal Cells enable researchers to investigate these dynamic processes and better understand their implications for neurological health and disease.

"We are thrilled to introduce VLMCs to the research community and offer this invaluable tool that will advance our understanding of the blood-brain barrier, and also potentially neurodegenerative disease and brain inflammation," said Dr. Jan Jensen, CEO/CSO of Trailhead Biosystems. "This milestone reflects our unwavering commitment to providing scientists with physiologically relevant human cells of the highest quality, and will facilitate groundbreaking research that could lead to new therapeutic approaches for neurological diseases."

The BBB and VLMCs are critical in maintaining brain homeostasis and protecting against many neurological diseases. BBB dysfunction has been implicated in conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and traumatic brain injury. The introduction of TrailBio® Vascular Leptomeningeal Cells addresses the urgent need for in vitro model systems to study drug permeability and disease mechanisms, and allows for more accurate investigations into potential therapies.

References
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Rajan AM, Ma RC, Kocha KM, Zhang DJ, Huang P. Dual function of perivascular fibroblasts in vascular stabilization in zebrafish. PLoS Genet. 2020 Oct 26;16(10):e1008800. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008800. PMID: 33104690; PMCID: PMC7644104.

Sosa MJ, Shih AY, Bonney SK. The elusive brain perivascular fibroblast: a potential role in vascular stability and homeostasis. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2023 Nov 24;10:1283434. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1283434. PMID: 38075961; PMCID: PMC10704358

Xu L, Nirwane A, Xu T, Kang M, Devasani K, Yao Y. Fibroblasts repair blood-brain barrier damage and hemorrhagic brain injury via TIMP2. Cell Rep. 2022 Nov 22;41(8):111709. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111709. PMID: 36417884; PMCID: PMC9769996.

Trailhead Biosystems, Inc.
23215 Commerce Park Rd, Beachwood, OH 44122
Tim Mauk, Corporate Communications
info@trailbio.com

Trailhead Biosystems, Inc. is pioneering an informatics-based approach in regenerative medicine and drug discovery. Founded in 2015 as a spinout from the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University, Trailhead emerged from the research of CEO/CSO Dr. Jan Jensen. Trailhead creates optimized human cells at scale with its proprietary High-Dimensional Design-of-Experiment (HD-DoE®) platform, integrating advanced mathematical modeling with high-throughput robotic manufacturing. This innovative system allows Trailhead to develop specialized, high-quality iPSC-derived human cells for drug discovery and cell-based therapies. TrailBio® Vascular Leptomeningeal Cells (VLMCs) are just one of many cell types emerging from this platform, with more cell types expected to be introduced in the near future.

Learn more about Trailhead Biosystems, TrailBio® Vascular Leptomeningeal Cells, and HD-DoE® at www.TrailBio.com.

This release was published on openPR.