Despite considerable effort to develop effective interventions, the prevalence of age-related neurodegenerative diseases is expected to rise dramatically in the coming decades. Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), dementia with Lewy body (DLB) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are characterized by the progressive degeneration of the affected neurons. Although animal and traditional cell models for age-related neurodegenerative diseases have been developed to study the molecular pathogenesis of the neurodegenerative diseases, they have significant limitations due to the inter-individual genetic heterogeneity and distinct homeostatic mechanisms between rodents and humans. Neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including embryonic stem or induced pluripotent stem cells (hESCs/hiPSCs), have recently emerged as a promising model for studying human neurodegenerative diseases.
Many of previous model systems have proven to be of poor reproducibility and translatability in human clinical trials. Rigorous use of the models and generation of new cell-based (especially hPSC-based) neurodegenerative disease models that more recapitulate human disease will provide a better understanding of these disorders and the opportunity for development of disease-modifying therapeutics. The cell-based models should recapitulate neuropathologies of the specific neurodegenerative disease.
In this special issue, we respectfully invite original research (articles, short communications and reviews) on developing, characterizing, or validating new, unconventional, or innovative cell models (including hPSC-based models) for a variety of neurodegenerative diseases including AD, PD, HD, FTD, DLB and ALS. The scope includes, but is not limited to:
• Development of new cell-based neurodegenerative disease models directly or indirectly related to pathologic proteins (amyloid ß, a-synuclein, tau, huntingtin and TDP-43)
• Improvement of current cell-based neurodegenerative disease models
• Development of cell-based genetic or drug screening platforms for neurodegenerative diseases
• New applications of cell-based neurodegenerative disease models
Despite considerable effort to develop effective interventions, the prevalence of age-related neurodegenerative diseases is expected to rise dramatically in the coming decades. Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), dementia with Lewy body (DLB) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are characterized by the progressive degeneration of the affected neurons. Although animal and traditional cell models for age-related neurodegenerative diseases have been developed to study the molecular pathogenesis of the neurodegenerative diseases, they have significant limitations due to the inter-individual genetic heterogeneity and distinct homeostatic mechanisms between rodents and humans. Neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including embryonic stem or induced pluripotent stem cells (hESCs/hiPSCs), have recently emerged as a promising model for studying human neurodegenerative diseases.
Many of previous model systems have proven to be of poor reproducibility and translatability in human clinical trials. Rigorous use of the models and generation of new cell-based (especially hPSC-based) neurodegenerative disease models that more recapitulate human disease will provide a better understanding of these disorders and the opportunity for development of disease-modifying therapeutics. The cell-based models should recapitulate neuropathologies of the specific neurodegenerative disease.
In this special issue, we respectfully invite original research (articles, short communications and reviews) on developing, characterizing, or validating new, unconventional, or innovative cell models (including hPSC-based models) for a variety of neurodegenerative diseases including AD, PD, HD, FTD, DLB and ALS. The scope includes, but is not limited to:
• Development of new cell-based neurodegenerative disease models directly or indirectly related to pathologic proteins (amyloid ß, a-synuclein, tau, huntingtin and TDP-43)
• Improvement of current cell-based neurodegenerative disease models
• Development of cell-based genetic or drug screening platforms for neurodegenerative diseases
• New applications of cell-based neurodegenerative disease models