Name:
Institution:
Type:
PI
Grant Award Details
Enabling non-genetic activity-driven maturation of iPSC-derived neurons
Grant Type:
Grant Number:
DISC2-13483
Project Objective:
- To develop a cell culture platform, based on graphene-based cell substrates and light stimulation, that improves neuronal maturation of hiPSC-derived brain cortical organoids.
Investigator:
Human Stem Cell Use:
iPS Cell
Award Value:
$675,000
Status:
Active
Grant Application Details
Application Title:
- Enabling non-genetic activity-driven maturation of iPSC-derived neurons
Public Abstract:
Research Objective
We will empower stem cell biologists to generate iPSC-derived neurons faster and with enhanced maturation by enabling optical cell stimulation and triggering activity-dependent maturation processes
Impact
Our project will address such critical bottlenecks as insufficient maturity of iPSC-derived neurons that limits their utility in age-related neurological disorders that manifest later in life.
Major Proposed Activities
- To fabricate graphene-based substrates for iPSC-derived neurons and human brain cortical organoids in order to use them during subsequent activities for optical cell stimulation
- To subject iPSC-derived neurons to repeated patterns of optical stimulation over extended periods of time in order to trigger the electrical activity in neuronal networks
- To characterize the changes in functional activity of optically stimulated iPSC-derived neurons that occurred as a result of different optical stimulation protocols
- To characterize the impact of the cell activity triggered by optical stimulation on transcriptional and cell population dynamics during activity-dependent maturation
- To finalize the validated protocols for light-driven activity-dependent enhanced maturation of iPSC-derived neurons.
Statement of Benefit to California:
Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death. Disease models based on iPSC-neurons allow us to better understand the disease mechanisms and to develop efficacious treatments. However, these neurons often do not exhibit adult-like maturation, limiting the clinical predictiveness of adult disease models. We propose to address this bottleneck by enabling activity-dependent maturation via long-term graphene-based optical stimulation of neurons.
