FURI | Fall 2018

Progerin-Induced Aging to Develop a Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

More than 5 million people currently live with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), with no major life-extending treatment or cure. Reprogramming human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) resets the age to a fetal stage. Age-related phenotypes must be reintroduced into the DNA of the cells. Accumulation of the progerin protein is seen to be associated with aging. Using in-vitro techniques, it is hypothesized that the overexpression of progerin through a lentiviral system will artificially age hiPSC derived neurons to model Alzheimer’s Disease. Age-related phenotypes will be analyzed via immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy and mitochondrial superoxide assays, confirming the identity of the hiPSCs.