This is the first time that neurons derived from human iPSCs have been matured with a synthetic matrix.
This is the first time that neurons derived from human iPSCs have been matured with a synthetic matrix. A team of researchers from the University of Barcelona, the UB Institute of Neurosciences (UBneuro) and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has created the first highly mature neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using a synthetic material. This finding opens up new opportunities for medical research and potential therapies for neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic injuries. The paper, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell , is co-authored by experts Alberto Ortega, Ramón y Cajal researcher at the UB Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and member of UBNeuro, and Zaida Álvarez, Ramón y Cajal researcher at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). "In this project, we have developed a new synthetic matrix that imitates different aspects of the extracellular matrix of the mammalian spinal cord, including topography, chemical composition and, above all, high molecular dynamism. This last feature has never been tested before due to the high technical complexity required to analyse it, and it seems to be very important for regulating multiple functions of human neurons in vitro , including adhesion, migration, survival and functional maturation", says Professor Alberto Ortega, from the UB Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics. "These matrices can help to solve historical limitations in moulding neurodegenerative diseases from human neurons derived from stem cells, as these systems normally present limited levels of maturation that do not go beyond the fetal and infant phases," says the UB researcher.
