ISSCR News


Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology and Potential Treatment Targets Identified in Brain Organoids
Press Release Kym Kilbourne Press Release Kym Kilbourne

Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology and Potential Treatment Targets Identified in Brain Organoids

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in older people, affecting up to 1 in 20 individuals aged 65 and above. In addition to environmental and lifestyle factors, genetic mutations can predispose an individual to AD and some rare forms of inherited “familial” AD (fAD) are caused by known genetic mutations, with these affected individuals developing AD with high probability and at relatively young age. In most cases, AD is diagnosed at advanced stages, but pathological alterations in brain cells may arise earlier in life, particularly in fAD which is known to manifest earlier in life.

To study early-life changes in fAD brain cells, researchers including Zhen-Ge Luo and colleagues from ShanghaiTech University, China, have leveraged stem cell-derived brain organoids, to model aspects of early human brain development and function in the laboratory.

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New Podcast Episode. Cancer Neuroscience, Tumor Organoids, and Understanding the Role of the Nervous System in Human Glioblastoma
Announcements Megan Koch Announcements Megan Koch

New Podcast Episode. Cancer Neuroscience, Tumor Organoids, and Understanding the Role of the Nervous System in Human Glioblastoma

The role of neuronal influences on cancer pathogenesis and progression is increasingly appreciated in the nervous system. Neurons have been shown to enhance the proliferation and migration of gliomas, a glial-derived tumor of the CNS, via diffusible paracrine factors or synaptic inputs onto tumor cells. In glioblastomas, a highly aggressive glioma, mostly glutamatergic inputs have been identified. While the potential for glioblastomas to receive projections from neurons of other neurotransmitter subtypes, such as from cholinergic neurons, has recently been discovered in xenotransplantation models, whether synapses can form between human cholinergic neurons and glioblastoma cells and consequences of these inputs and other non-synaptic mechanisms are still unknown.  

 Human induced pluripotent stem cell-based models have been emerging as a powerful platform for studying human-specific disease mechanisms. Today’s guests developed a co-culture model for the study of neuron-tumor interactions by combining patient derived glioblastoma organoids and hiPSC-derived cholinergic neurons. They will discuss their recent findings and what it means for understanding and potentially treating a tumor for which there is no known cure. 

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New Podcast Episode. Stem Cells in Space: Muscle Regeneration in Microgravity
Announcements Megan Koch Announcements Megan Koch

New Podcast Episode. Stem Cells in Space: Muscle Regeneration in Microgravity

Skeletal muscle is one of the most abundant tissues in the human body, representing approximately 40% of body weight. Under certain circumstances, skeletal muscle can be regenerated through satellite cells, a reservoir of quiescent muscle stem cells, that can be activated with injury or in certain diseases and give rise to newly formed multi-nucleated myotubes and myofibers. However, the regenerative potential of muscle is diminished or is completely absent in the course of normal aging, certain diseases, and space travel. For example, time spent in microgravity can have a profound impact on human physiology, especially the muscular system, as astronauts lose up to 20% of their lean muscle mass and up to half of their strength.  

The identification of countermeasures against the effects of muscle regeneration, including microgravity, is an increasing priority for an aging population and continued space travel. Experiments in microgravity, conducted on the International Space Station, offer a unique opportunity to understand muscle regeneration and the effects of microgravity. Our guests today will discuss muscle regeneration, their muscle-on-a-chip platform that mimics salient aspects of impaired muscle regeneration, and the feasibility of drug screening in microgravity.

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First Large-Scale Stem Cell Bank Enables Worldwide Studies on Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
Press Release Kym Kilbourne Press Release Kym Kilbourne

First Large-Scale Stem Cell Bank Enables Worldwide Studies on Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common, debilitating neurodegenerative disease affecting about 10 percent of people over the age of 65 and one third of people aged 85 and above. Besides environmental factors, the genes have a strong influence on whether or not a person develops AD during their lifetime. Through genome sequencing of DNA from large groups of healthy people and people with AD, some naturally occurring small changes in the DNA, known as genetic variants, were found to be more frequent in AD patients than in healthy people. As more and more of these AD-associated genetic “risk” variants are discovered, it is now possible to calculate a person’s individual polygenic risk score (PRS), meaning the likelihood of the person to develop AD, with high accuracy. Despite this progress, it is still largely unknown how genetic risk variants, or combinations thereof, cause AD in individual patients and more specifically, how risk variants impact the health and function of brain cells.

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Stem Cell Reports Announces Five New Early Career Editors
Press Release Kym Kilbourne Press Release Kym Kilbourne

Stem Cell Reports Announces Five New Early Career Editors

The ISSCR has selected five distinguished early career scientists to serve as new Early Career Editors for Stem Cell Reports, the peer-reviewed, open access, online journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR).

During their term, Early Career Editors provide strategic advice, participate in the editorial review process, and receive mentorship from current editors. They join other Early Career Editors currently working with the journal.

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