Developing a method to turn stem cells into neurons in large quantities can help with the study of Alzheimer’s disease.
Faculty Mentor: David Brafman
Progerin-Induced Aging to Develop a Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Studying the aging mechanism of pluripotent stem cells will help better model age-related Alzheimer’s disease.
Generation of an Inducible CRISPR/dCas9-KRAB System to Modulate Gene Expression
Using CRISPR to age model neurons for Alzheimer’s disease study will lead to better understanding and treatments.
Progerin-Induced Aging to Develop a Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) has the sixth highest mortality rate in the United States with no known cure or treatment. To model late-onset disorders, such as AD, age-related phenotypes must be reintroduced into the DNA of the cells. The accumulation of the progerin protein is associated with aging. Using in-vitro techniques, it is hypothesized that overexpressing
Human Neural Progenitor Cell Transplantation Sustainment and Maturation with Immunodeficient Mice
This project addresses the feasibility of human neural progenitor cell (hNPC) transplantation into the striatum of immunodeficient mice. Injections of hNPCs and hNPCs encapsulated in a hyaluronic acid-laminin based hydrogel (HA-Lm gel) were performed. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed 7 and 14 days post-injection for key cell lineage specific markers. These markers will allow for quantitative
Generation of an Inducible CRISPR/dCas9-KRAB System to Modulate Gene Expression
Current in-vitro Alzheimer’s disease models fail to recapitulate the critical risk factor of age because they yield immature neuronal populations that exhibit gene expression more closely resembling that of fetal brain tissue rather than adult tissue. This project aims to develop an inducible CRISPR/dCas9-KRAB system that will repress the pluripotency marker OCT4 to lead to
Large Scale Expansion and Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Progenitor Cells from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is an aggressive neurodegenerative disease that currently presents a significant therapeutic challenge. Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) derived neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) offer a potential solution. HNPCs are capable of self-renewing and differentiating into multiple cell types of the central nervous system. Previous work in the lab developed a rationally designed
