Project Details
Description
Specific nerve cells, known as interneurons, balance activating and inhibitory signals in the brain and have been shown to be damaged or lost in neurological diseases such as schizophrenia (SZ). Currently, there is no cure for SZ, and treatment often requires a combination of different types of therapies. But what if we could study the damaged interneurons in the lab, identify what has gone wrong, and thereby find new ways to restore their function?
This project will develop exciting new strategies to transform human skin cells from SZ patients into interneurons using so-called reprogramming. The cells are transformed in the lab, sometimes via the stem cell stage, by overexpressing neuron genes while retaining their genetic signature.
My research group has shown that specific interneurons can be created by reprogramming both mouse brain cells and human cells in cell culture. If human interneurons can be generated from patients, they could constitute an exciting disease model for SZ. This could lead to entirely new insights into the role of interneurons in the disease and the development of new therapies.
In this Crafoord-sponsored project, a new collaboration is established between the psychiatric clinic at SUS and an experimental laboratory at LU to study human interneurons from patients. In a first step, we have optimized our protocols for interneurons using a so-called co-culture containing different types of cells in three-dimensional spheres that mimic the complexity of the human brain. Now we are seeking continued funding (year 2) to apply the protocol to patients' cells to create SZ-specific interneurons in the lab and study harmful mechanisms in terms of appearance, gene expression, and function. Any damage will be attempted to be restored.
This project represents an important first step for reprogramming techniques towards future disease models of neuropsychiatric disorders such as SZ.
This project will develop exciting new strategies to transform human skin cells from SZ patients into interneurons using so-called reprogramming. The cells are transformed in the lab, sometimes via the stem cell stage, by overexpressing neuron genes while retaining their genetic signature.
My research group has shown that specific interneurons can be created by reprogramming both mouse brain cells and human cells in cell culture. If human interneurons can be generated from patients, they could constitute an exciting disease model for SZ. This could lead to entirely new insights into the role of interneurons in the disease and the development of new therapies.
In this Crafoord-sponsored project, a new collaboration is established between the psychiatric clinic at SUS and an experimental laboratory at LU to study human interneurons from patients. In a first step, we have optimized our protocols for interneurons using a so-called co-culture containing different types of cells in three-dimensional spheres that mimic the complexity of the human brain. Now we are seeking continued funding (year 2) to apply the protocol to patients' cells to create SZ-specific interneurons in the lab and study harmful mechanisms in terms of appearance, gene expression, and function. Any damage will be attempted to be restored.
This project represents an important first step for reprogramming techniques towards future disease models of neuropsychiatric disorders such as SZ.
Status | Active |
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Effective start/end date | 2024/07/01 → 2026/06/30 |
Funding
- Crafoord Foundation