Parkinson's-in-a-Dish: Human
iPSC-based disease models
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an age-dependent progressive neurodegenerative disease defined by debilitating motor dysfunction, loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, and formation of alpha-synuclein containing Lewy bodies. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-derived dopaminergic neurons are at the forefront of cellular models for discovery and validation of new treatments for Parkinson’s Disease. Our engineered and patient-derived iCell DopaNeurons provide a consistent and reliable “Parkinson’s-in-a-dish” model to support your research and drug screening projects.
Engineered Disease Models
Why use engineered iPSCs for Parkinson's disease modeling?
Engineering disease-associated mutations into human iPSCs enables creation of relevant PD cell culture models when patient material is unavailable. Engineering mutations into healthy donor cell lines also ensures availability of isogenic controls. We offer engineered iCell DopaNeurons as an off-the-shelf and consistent option for modeling human PD in culture.
SNCA A53T (α-synuclein)
SNCA A53T is a low frequency, highly penetrant mutation linked to increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD). The A53T mutation in SNCA increases susceptibility of α-synuclein to accumulation and aggregation in the brain – a pathological feature of Parkinson’s disease.
Cell Line Options:
Patient-Derived Models
Why use patient-derived iPSCs to research Parkinson's disease?
Patient-derived iPSCs differentiated into human dopaminergic neurons offer a clinically relevant model to investigate high risk disease mutations in vitro. iCell® DopaNeurons differentiated from PD donor iPSCs obtained from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), an initiative of The Michael J. Fox Foundation. These cell lines harbor Parkinson’s-associated genetic mutations and are supported by clinical, imaging, genomics, and biological data.
Figure: Alpha-synuclein accumulation is increased in GBA, LRRK2, and SNCA A53T iCell DopaNeurons compared to Apparently Healthy Normal (AHN iCell DopaNeurons). Measured using Human α-Synuclein Assay from Meso scale discovery (MSD).
iCell NeuroSpheres formed using AHN, engineered, or patient-derived iCell DopaNeurons. Representative images of neurospheres along with respective calcium oscillation traces. Data shows differing calcium activity patterns between the control and disease-containing neurospheres.
iCell NeuroSpheres
Go 3D with your Parkinson’s disease modeling by building iCell NeuroSpheres. 3D in vitro models of the brain continue to advance the predictive power of cellular models for drug discovery. iCell NeuroSpheres are an immediate, versatile, and reproducible way to incorporate 3D neural spheroids into your disease and drug discovery research. Combine patient-derived or engineered iCell DopaNeurons with iCell Astrocytes to generate an advanced model of Parkinson’s disease that are amenable for calcium imaging assays and other high throughput applications.
- Uses off-the-shelf iCell DopaNeurons
- Generates reproducible sphere size and cell type ratios
- Incorporate PD iCell DopaNeurons for disease modeling
- Generates one sphere per well in a 384-well format
Need a custom Parkinson's Disease Cell Line?
Contact us to discuss custom projects using cells from the PPMI Parkinson's Disease iPSC Bank or from your own donor source.
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