The Potential of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Treat and Model Alzheimer’s Disease
An estimated 6.2 million Americans aged 65 or older are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease that disrupts an individual’s ability to function independently through the degeneration of key regions in the brain, including but not limited to the hippocampus, the...
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Wiley
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Stem Cells International |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5511630 |
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| author | Joseph M. Schulz |
| author_facet | Joseph M. Schulz |
| author_sort | Joseph M. Schulz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An estimated 6.2 million Americans aged 65 or older are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease that disrupts an individual’s ability to function independently through the degeneration of key regions in the brain, including but not limited to the hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, and the motor cortex. The cause of this degeneration is not known, but research has found two proteins that undergo posttranslational modifications: tau, a protein concentrated in the axons of neurons, and amyloid precursor protein (APP), a protein concentrated near the synapse. Through mechanisms that have yet to be elucidated, the accumulation of these two proteins in their abnormal aggregate forms leads to the neurodegeneration that is characteristic of AD. Until the invention of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in 2006, the bulk of research was carried out using transgenic animal models that offered little promise in their ability to translate well from benchtop to bedside, creating a bottleneck in the development of therapeutics. However, with iPSC, patient-specific cell cultures can be utilized to create models based on human cells. These human cells have the potential to avoid issues in translatability that have plagued animal models by providing researchers with a model that closely resembles and mimics the neurons found in humans. By using human iPSC technology, researchers can create more accurate models of AD ex vivo while also focusing on regenerative medicine using iPSC in vivo. The following review focuses on the current uses of iPSC and how they have the potential to regenerate damaged neuronal tissue, in the hopes that these technologies can assist in getting through the bottleneck of AD therapeutic research. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-297f5ebf27044d3eba2ccbc8e92526a5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-966X 1687-9678 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
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| series | Stem Cells International |
| spelling | doaj-art-297f5ebf27044d3eba2ccbc8e92526a52025-08-20T03:54:47ZengWileyStem Cells International1687-966X1687-96782021-01-01202110.1155/2021/55116305511630The Potential of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Treat and Model Alzheimer’s DiseaseJoseph M. Schulz0Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando FL 32816, USAAn estimated 6.2 million Americans aged 65 or older are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease that disrupts an individual’s ability to function independently through the degeneration of key regions in the brain, including but not limited to the hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, and the motor cortex. The cause of this degeneration is not known, but research has found two proteins that undergo posttranslational modifications: tau, a protein concentrated in the axons of neurons, and amyloid precursor protein (APP), a protein concentrated near the synapse. Through mechanisms that have yet to be elucidated, the accumulation of these two proteins in their abnormal aggregate forms leads to the neurodegeneration that is characteristic of AD. Until the invention of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in 2006, the bulk of research was carried out using transgenic animal models that offered little promise in their ability to translate well from benchtop to bedside, creating a bottleneck in the development of therapeutics. However, with iPSC, patient-specific cell cultures can be utilized to create models based on human cells. These human cells have the potential to avoid issues in translatability that have plagued animal models by providing researchers with a model that closely resembles and mimics the neurons found in humans. By using human iPSC technology, researchers can create more accurate models of AD ex vivo while also focusing on regenerative medicine using iPSC in vivo. The following review focuses on the current uses of iPSC and how they have the potential to regenerate damaged neuronal tissue, in the hopes that these technologies can assist in getting through the bottleneck of AD therapeutic research.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5511630 |
| spellingShingle | Joseph M. Schulz The Potential of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Treat and Model Alzheimer’s Disease Stem Cells International |
| title | The Potential of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Treat and Model Alzheimer’s Disease |
| title_full | The Potential of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Treat and Model Alzheimer’s Disease |
| title_fullStr | The Potential of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Treat and Model Alzheimer’s Disease |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Potential of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Treat and Model Alzheimer’s Disease |
| title_short | The Potential of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Treat and Model Alzheimer’s Disease |
| title_sort | potential of induced pluripotent stem cells to treat and model alzheimer s disease |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5511630 |
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