Chapter 10 - Induced pluripotent stem cell derived from postmortem tissue in neurodegenerative disease research

Abstract

Recent advances in stem cell biology have transformed our understanding of neurodegenerative disorders. The development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells bypasses many of the ethical concerns surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells and provides a source of autologous, patient-specific stem cells. The differentiation of these cells into disease-relevant cell types from the central nervous systems, including neurons, astrocytes, microglial cells, and even more complex three-dimensional organoid systems, has provided an approach to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders. The overlap in clinical phenotypes across different neurodegenerative disorders has complicated the understanding of the pathophysiology of specific neurodegenerative diseases. Autopsy confirmation of specific neurodegenerative disorders remains the gold standard for diagnosis. As such, there is a significant need for properly diagnosed, autopsy-confirmed iPSC lines to accurately model neurodegenerative diseases.