Modeling glucose transport across the blood-brain barrier

The ultimate hurdle to noninvasive delivery of drugs to the brain is the blood-brain barrier. This paper introduces an agent-based modeling technique that simulates protein-mediated transport across the barrier, and the variables influencing this transport. The model is based in part on ongoing in vitro tests in two endothelial layer flow chamber systems. As a specific application of the model, transport of glucose across the blood-brain barrier is represented under coupled physiological conditions. Three critical variables that influence glucose transport through the GLUT1 transporter are represented: chronic glucose blood concentrations, blood shear rates, and membrane permeability.