Discovery opens doors to improving diagnostics and developing new therapy for majority of ALS patients
Summary
HSCI-funded research using human pluripotent stem cell models and tissue from ALS patients found that the protein TDP-43 regulates a gene called Stathmin2 (STMN2).
In a cross-school collaboration, Harvard researchers Steve McCarroll (left) and Kevin Eggan (right) couple stem cell science with genetics and genomics to advance our understanding of human brain illnesses. Their latest project identified mutations that stem cell lines acquire in...
Zika virus (light blue) spreads through a three-dimensional model of a developing brain. Image courtesy of Max Salick and Nathaniel Kirkpatrick/Novartis
The fast-spreading virus can take multiple routes into developing human nerve cells.
In the spleen, lymphoid tissue (purple) is responsible for launching an immune response to blood-born antigens, while red pulp (pink) filters the blood. Mutations in the C9ORF72 gene, the most common mutation found in ALS patients, can inflame lymphoid tissue and...
Above, one type of hypothalamic neuron created from stem cells. For the first time, researchers have access to these live human neuron types that are involved in everything from the regulation of sleep, to obesity, and other basic processes....
Human noxious stimulus detecting sensory neurons produced by converting skin cells with a set of five genes to this new fate—enabling study of "pain"in a dish. (Credit: Elizabeth Buttermore, PhD)
Harvard stem cell scientists have discovered that a recently approved medication for epilepsy may possibly be a meaningful treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—Lou Gehrig’s disease, a uniformly fatal neurodegenerative disorder. The researchers are now collaborating with Massachusetts General Hospital to design an initial clinical trial testing the safety of the treatment in ALS patients.... Read more about Patient stem cells help identify common problem in ALS
In a cross-school collaboration, Harvard researchers Steve McCarroll (left) and Kevin Eggan (right) couple stem cell science with genetics and genomics to advance our understanding of human brain illnesses. Their latest project identified mutations that stem cell lines acquire in...
Harvard stem cell scientists have discovered that a recently approved medication for epilepsy may possibly be a meaningful treatment for