How To Accelerate Research and Drug Discovery in Motor Neuron Disease: A Deep Dive Into Precision Reprogrammed Human iPSC-Derived Motor Neurons
In this Teach Me in 10 episode, Dr. Marcos Herrera-Vaquero from bit.bio discusses motor neurons and their role in Motor Neuron Diseases (MNDs) like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). He describes the two types of motor neurons: upper motor neurons in the brain and brainstem, and lower motor neurons in the spinal cord. These neurons are crucial for transmitting signals to muscles and organs, and their degeneration leads to MNDs.
Dr. Herrera-Vaquero explores the challenges researchers face in studying MNDs, particularly in modelling human cell and disease phenotypes. Existing approaches, including animal models, human primary motor neurons and human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived cells generated through traditional methods, present limitations such as a lack of physiological relevance and consistency, donor-to-donor variation, ethical challenges, and scalability issues.
Highlighting the most recent technological developments, Dr. Herrera-Vaquero introduces bit.bio’s hiPSC-derived ioMotor Neurons™. He will disclose how bit.bio’s precision cell reprogramming technology enables the generation of motor neurons that are consistent, scalable, and defined, offering a biologically relevant model for use in cell-based assays and drug discovery workflows. Within the video you will discover how the motor neurons have been characterised for functionality and learn how easy they are to use.
Finally, Dr. Herrera-Vaquero concludes with describing how scientists can get their hands on early access vials of wild type ioMotor Neurons and he explores the future development of critical disease models for ALS, which are poised to pave the way for more effective MND research.
This Teach Me in 10 video is a valuable resource for anyone interested in neuroscience, particularly those focused on MND and ALS, offering both foundational knowledge and cutting-edge developments in the field.
