The generation of new neurons has made it possible to treat diseases of the nervous system through cell replacement. Creative Bioarray has worked for many years to develop multiple reprogramming strategies to help clients obtain functional neurons from skin cells. We have the confidence to provide professional and satisfying scientific services to our clients.
Introduction
To date, fibroblasts have been the preferred starting point for cell fate reprogramming to generate neurons due to their relative availability. Fibroblasts can be easily obtained from patients through a minimally invasive approach, which reduces the complexity of generating patient-specific cells. Several groups have used different strategies to facilitate the conversion of fibroblasts collected from patients with neurological disorders into iPSCs and subsequent induction into functional neurons. However, the low efficiency of iPSC conversion and the risk of tumorigenesis have limited these studies. Recent advances in the field of cell reprogramming have facilitated the development of new methods for the direct induction transdifferentiation of skin cells into neurons.
Recently emerging work in stem cell research provides a method for direct somatic cell fate reprogramming that avoids many of the ethical and clinical problems that have hampered previous techniques. This new technique has now been proven to be an effective and rapid method for generating functional induced neurons (iNs) and induced neural stem cells (iNSCs). Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of this technique to directly transform skin cells into mature iNs while avoiding the use of oncogenes, the pluripotent stem cell stages, and the ethical confusion caused by tissue origin.
Fig.1 Direct generation of iNs from fibroblasts. (Abdullah, 2012)
Our Services
To generate functional neurons, Creative Bioarray has developed multiple cell reprogramming strategies using fibroblasts as the preferred starting point. Our services to clients include but are not limited to:
- Addition of a mixture of small molecules to a culture dish of human skin cells to induce the generation of mature functional neurons.
- Generation of iNs from fibroblasts using combinations of neurogenic factors.
- Reprogramming fibroblasts to induced dopamine neurons (iDA) through overexpressing dopamine neuron lineage-specific factors that function in brain development.
- Using the most efficient combinations of known motor neuron-specific factors to efficiently transform embryonic fibroblasts into functional induced motor neurons (iMNs).
- Characterization of iNs.
Applications
- Study on diseases of motor neurons
- Development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases
- Development of new ways to heal damaged tissues and organs
Advantages
- Industry-leading scientific experts
- Safer and more efficient direct trans-differentiation strategies
- Professional scientific services
Creative Bioarray has developed multiple reprogramming strategies to help clients generate different types of neurons including iMNs and iDA from skin cells. Our superior scientific experts will help you develop cost-effective and landmark projects to meet your research needs. Please feel free to contact us for more information.
Reference
- Abdullah, A.I.; et al. The path from skin to brain: generation of functional neurons from fibroblasts. Molecular neurobiology. 2012, 45(3): 586-595.