New Podcast Episode. Illuminating hPSC-derived Sensory Neurons

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are transforming the study of biology and disease by enabling scientists to grow large amounts of specific cell types in the lab that were once difficult to obtain. Our guests today focus on improving the derivation and study of sensory neurons, which are sparse and diverse nerve cells near the spine that carry information like pain, touch, or position of the body to the brain. Damage to these neurons or sensory neuropathies, as can happen in diabetes or infections, is estimated to affect millions of people worldwide, yet treatments are limited. To improve the generation of human sensory neurons, the authors developed a genetic toolkit to fluorescently label these individual cells and their subtypes. This approach enables more precise study of these subtypes, their roles in disease, and potentially the development of treatments for sensory neuropathies. 

Guests

• Joriene C. de Nooij, PhD, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, USA

• Eti Malka-Gibor, PhD, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, USA 

Supporting Content: Derivation and analysis of human somatic sensory neuron subtypes facilitated through fluorescent hPSC reporters," Stem Cell Reports