MORE | Spring 2018

Large Scale Expansion and Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Progenitor Cells from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is an aggressive neurodegenerative disease that currently presents a significant therapeutic challenge. Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) derived neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) offer a potential solution. HNPCs are capable of self-renewing and differentiating into multiple cell types of the central nervous system. Previous work in the lab developed a rationally designed peptide capable of culturing and differentiating hNPCs. This peptide allowed for the differentiation of hNPCs into astrocytes. Additionally, hNPCs were generated using fALS patient-derived hPSCs. Further differentiating these cells into motor neurons will allow for further study of ALS disease pathology.