3D brain tissue model recreates key Alzheimer's interactions for drug testing
How can Alzheimer's research be made faster, better and more effective? After decades of intensive research worldwide and despite recent therapeutic advances, scientists have not managed to fully arrest the progress of the disease. "What we are still lacking is three-dimensional models that accurately replicate the complex interactions in human brain tissue with Alzheimer's disease," explains…
Researchers at LMU University Hospital have developed a 3D model of human brain tissue that accurately replicates key interactions in Alzheimer's disease, paving the way for faster and more effective drug testing. Dominik Paquet, a professor of neurobiology, explains that creating such models has been a nine-year endeavor, requiring scientific creativity, technical skills, and patience.
The model uses human stem cells, which are converted into neurons, astrocytes, and microglia and allowed to self-organize in a nutrient solution. The resulting tissue balls, about the size of a pinhead, exhibit characteristics of the human brain, including the formation of functional synapses by neurons, nutrient supply by astrocytes, and immune monitoring by microglia.
The model demonstrates the activity of genes and proteins relevant to Alzheimer's disease and allows researchers to induce and dissolve Alzheimer's-type amyloid aggregates using existing drugs. This ability to create and modify the tissue model enables the study of disease progression and the testing of potential treatments. Paquet and his team aim to automate and scale the production of these models using robots, making it possible to efficiently screen numerous drug candidates in a human-like system for Alzheimer's treatment.
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