AsianScientist (Apr. 12, 2019) – Scientists in South Korea have developed a method to mass produce cerebral cortex neurons using Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). They published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.
Cerebral cortex neurons are found in the outer layer of the brain, playing a key role in higher cognitive functions such as perception, thought and memory. These neurons die in patients suffering from degenerative brain diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s Disease, hence scientists are searching for ways to restore brain function using stem cells.
In the present study, researchers led by Associate Professor Yoichi Kosodo of the Korea Brain Research Institute, South Korea, cultivated iPSCs on a gel made of collagen from a tilapia fish and successfully differentiated the iPSCs into neurons. By mimicking the stiffness of the human brain (1,500 Pa) using collagen gel, they were able to achieve 60 percent more differentiation as compared to existing methods.
Additionally, the researchers reproduced the stiffness of diseased brain tissues using their collagen gel. They intend to use this technique to uncover the underlying mechanisms of neurological pathologies by cultivating neurons on these customized gels.
“This research is meaningful in that the stiffness of brain is found to be an important factor in determining differentiation of neurons,” said Kosodo. “We expect that we can mass produce certain neurons to be utilized for neuron regeneration treatment in the future.”
The article can be found at: Iwashita et al. (2019) Brain-stiffness-mimicking Tilapia Collagen Gel Promotes the Induction of Dorsal Cortical Neurons From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.
———
Source: Korea Brain Research Institute; Photo: Shutterstock.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
