Special Issue "Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Basic and Translational Research"

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cells of the Nervous System".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2023 | Viewed by 5221

Special Issue Editor

1. Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78245-0549, USA
2. Department of Radiology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA
Interests: Parkinson’s disease; stroke; traumatic brain injury (TBI); multiple sclerosis (MS); human neural stem cells (NSCs); non human primate studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ability to turn adult skin, blood, or other types of somatic cells into a pluripotent stem cell has opened new frontiers in basic biology and medical research. An induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) is created by reprogramming any cell of the human body into the pluripotent developmental stage. The reprogrammed cells are then able to generate a virtually unlimited number of progeny capable of differentiating into organ-specific specialized functional cells. IPSCs offer a unique research platform for modeling gene variants and monogenic causal genes to characterize gene-associated function and dysfunction, for drug screening, for cell therapy, and for personalized medicine. This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in iPSC basic and translational research, specifically cellular differentiation, the generation of specific lineages, tissue morphogenesis and 3D culture systems, the pathogenesis of diseases, in vitro systems for drug discovery, and the development of innovative therapeutic interventions.

Dr. Marcel M. Daadi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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Article
Lewy Body-like Pathology and Loss of Dopaminergic Neurons in Midbrain Organoids Derived from Familial Parkinson’s Disease Patient
Cells 2023, 12(4), 625; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12040625 - 15 Feb 2023
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Abstract
Progressive accumulation of α-Synuclein (αSyn) in Lewy bodies (LBs) and loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons are the hallmark pathological features of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Although currently available in vitro and in vivo models have provided crucial information about PD pathogenesis, the mechanistic link [...] Read more.
Progressive accumulation of α-Synuclein (αSyn) in Lewy bodies (LBs) and loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons are the hallmark pathological features of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Although currently available in vitro and in vivo models have provided crucial information about PD pathogenesis, the mechanistic link between the progressive accumulation of αSyn into LBs and the loss of DA neurons is still unclear. To address this, it is critical to model LB formation and DA neuron loss, the two key neuropathological aspects of PD, in a relevant in vitro system. In this study, we developed a human midbrain-like organoid (hMBO) model of PD. We demonstrated that hMBOs generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), derived from a familial PD (fPD) patient carrying αSyn gene (SNCA) triplication accumulate pathological αSyn over time. These cytoplasmic inclusions spatially and morphologically resembled diverse stages of LB formation and were composed of key markers of LBs. Importantly, the progressive accumulation of pathological αSyn was paralleled by the loss of DA neurons and elevated apoptosis. The model developed in this study will complement the existing in vitro models of PD and will provide a unique platform to study the spatiotemporal events governing LB formation and their relation with neurodegeneration. Furthermore, this model will also be beneficial for in vitro screening and the development of therapeutic compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Basic and Translational Research)
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Review
Development and In Vitro Differentiation of Schwann Cells
Cells 2022, 11(23), 3753; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11233753 - 24 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2579
Abstract
Schwann cells are glial cells of the peripheral nervous system. They exist in several subtypes and perform a variety of functions in nerves. Their derivation and culture in vitro are interesting for applications ranging from disease modeling to tissue engineering. Since primary human [...] Read more.
Schwann cells are glial cells of the peripheral nervous system. They exist in several subtypes and perform a variety of functions in nerves. Their derivation and culture in vitro are interesting for applications ranging from disease modeling to tissue engineering. Since primary human Schwann cells are challenging to obtain in large quantities, in vitro differentiation from other cell types presents an alternative. Here, we first review the current knowledge on the developmental signaling mechanisms that determine neural crest and Schwann cell differentiation in vivo. Next, an overview of studies on the in vitro differentiation of Schwann cells from multipotent stem cell sources is provided. The molecules frequently used in those protocols and their involvement in the relevant signaling pathways are put into context and discussed. Focusing on hiPSC- and hESC-based studies, different protocols are described and compared, regarding cell sources, differentiation methods, characterization of cells, and protocol efficiency. A brief insight into developments regarding the culture and differentiation of Schwann cells in 3D is given. In summary, this contribution provides an overview of the current resources and methods for the differentiation of Schwann cells, it supports the comparison and refinement of protocols and aids the choice of suitable methods for specific applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Basic and Translational Research)
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