Evaluating the Expanding Models of Brain Disease

Those who study neurological diseases and their underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms have a number of scientific models at their disposal. In vivo animal models, particularly those bearing targeted genetic modifications, remain the gold standard, especially when it comes to assessment of behavioral readouts and neurobiological disease mechanisms in vivo. Historically, animal models have been widely used for preclinical validation of drug efficacy and safety.  Increasingly there is a move away from this approach, and human cellular models using induced pluripotent stem cells and their derivatives such as three-dimensional organoid models have recently provided unprecedented genetic and mechanistic insights into disease mechanisms. Human/animal chimeras made by xenografting human cells into the animal brain have unparalleled potential to study human cells in the context of the whole organism. Our guests today review the use of these types of model systems to understand neuropsychiatric diseases, focusing on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, Down syndrome, and schizophrenia and provide critical appraisal of the impact of human-rodent xenografting approaches for advancing our understanding of those diseases and brain development. HostMartin Pera, Editor-in-Chief, Stem Cell Reports and The Jackson Laboratory@martinperaJAX GuestsGiuseppe Testa, MD, PhD, Università Statale, Human Technopole, and the European Institute of Oncology, ItalyMarlene Pereira, PhD UCB Pharma, Brussels, BelgiumReinald Shyti, PhD, Human Technopole and the European Institute of Oncology, ItalySupporting ContentIn and out: benchmarking in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo and xenografting approaches for an integrative brain disease modeling pipeline, Stem Cell ReportsAbout Stem Cell ReportsStem Cell Reports is the open access, peer-reviewed journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) for communicating basic discoveries in stem cell research, in addition to translational and clinical studies. Stem Cell Reports focuses on original research with conceptual or practical advances that are of broad interest to stem cell biologists and clinicians.Twitter: @StemCellReportsAbout ISSCRWith nearly 5,000 members from 75+ countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (@ISSCR) is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to stem cell research and its translation to the clinic. The ISSCR mission is to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health.ISSCR StaffKeith Alm, Chief Executive OfficerYvonne Fisher, Managing Editor, Stem Cell ReportsKym Kilbourne, Director of Media and Strategic CommunicationsJack Mosher, Scientific AdvisorVoice WorkBen Snitkoff