Neural Induction and Differentiation of ESCs and iPSCs
Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, are self-renewing cells that have the potential to develop into cells of all three germ layers, including the ectoderm. The ectoderm gives rise to the neural tube which includes all cells of the central nervous system including the brain. Since human brain tissue is hard to come by ES and iPS cells hold tremendous potential as a more representative model for studying human neurological development and disease. Being able to generate patient-specific differentiated cells bridges the gap between studies using animal models and clinical research.
We've created these resources to support your hPSC-derived neurological development and disease research, and to give you a window into the exciting research being done by others in the field.
Brains in a Dish: Using Cerebral Organoids to Study Human Brain Development and Disease
What are ‘mini-brains’, and how are they being used to study neurological development and disease? Dr. Oliver Wüseke, who works with cerebral organoids as a PostDoc in the Knoblich Lab at IMBA Vienna, gives an overview of the cerebral organoid field and discusses different techniques and results emerging as researchers increasingly adopt cerebral organoid technology to study brain development and disease.
View Now >- iPSCs As Models, Part 2: Modeling the Human Brain with OrganoidsGet a walkthrough of how to generate and characterize iPSC-derived brain organoids from Dr. Anjana Nityanandam, Director of the Human Stem Cell Lab core facility at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Learn how to improve reliability and reproducibility of data from brain organoid models, and get an overview of disease modeling case studies using various 3D cultures.
- iPSCs As Models, Part 1: What Are Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and How Do You Use Them?Hear from Dr. Anjana Nityanandam, Director of the Human Stem Cell Lab core facility at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as she provides some introductory examples of how iPSCs are used for disease modeling and walks through how to generate and characterize iPSCs. Learn about quality control measures to improve reliability and reproducibility of data, and how to address interline variability in your experiments.
- Madeline Lancaster on Brain Organoids: Modeling Human Brain Development in a DishIn this webinar, Dr. Madeline Lancaster, who has done groundbreaking work in the development of cerebral organoid technology, discusses the latest developments in cerebral organoids and provides a comparison of different 3D model systems being used for neurological research. Research in the Lancaster lab focuses on human brain development using cerebral organoids, a new in vitro model system for neurological development and disease research. The laboratory uses these ‘mini-brains’ to study the most fundamental differences between human and other mammalian species’ brain development - essentially, what makes us human. The lab is also studying cellular mechanisms of, and potential therapeutic avenues for, neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and intellectual disability. This webinar is just one of the educational resources on neural organoids that we’ve developed to help you navigate this exciting field. Visit the <a href="/discover-organoids/neural">Neural Organoid Information Hub</a> to learn more. <!--Dr. Madeline Lancaster is a Group Leader in the Cell Biology Division of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology, part of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, UK. Research in the Lancaster lab focuses on human brain development using cerebral organoids, an in vitro model system for neurological development and disease research. The laboratory uses these ‘mini-brains’ to study the most fundamental differences between human and other mammalian species’ brain development - essentially, what makes us human. The lab is also studying cellular mechanisms of, and potential therapeutic avenues for, neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and intellectual disability. In this talk, Dr. Madeline Lancaster provides an overview of brain organoids and discusses new modifications/advances in the field, including recently modeled neurological conditions. She compares different 3D model methods and talks about future potential of the technology.-->
- Development of Simplified and Defined Cell Culture for Human Pluripotent Stem CellsHuman pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have the ability to generate all cell types in the human body and can be used in many applications in basic research and translational medicine, including disease modeling, drug screening and cell therapy. Maintenance of high quality hPSCs is dependent on consistent in vitro cell culture conditions and handling techniques. TeSRâ„¢-E8â„¢ is a defined, xeno-free medium with a simple and published formula that was developed to meet the demands of a wide range of applications. The E8 culture system has been successfully used to derive and maintain hPSCs, and enzyme-free methods have also been developed for cell expansion and cryopreservation. More recently, defined differentiation conditions have also been established for specific lineages. These developments will provide an efficient and cost-effective E8 platform for the hPSC field. This webinar is presented by Dr. Guokai Chen at the University of Macau.
