Chapter 17 - Deciphering the Systems Architecture of the Brain Using Molecular Can Openers

Abstract

Throughout much of human and medical history the brain has been a black box opaque to scientific investigation for a myriad of reasons ranging from societal to logistical barriers. Compounding this opacity, the biological effects of ecologically sourced medicines that early cultures, and many current societies, prescribed were inherently elusive due to technological hurdles. However, in modern medicine and science, these challenges are now surmountable. Healthy and diseased human patient neurons are now more accessible, as noninvasively collected somatic cells, such as skin cells, can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and then differentiated into neurons in vitro. Due to this contemporary ability to grow patient neurons in a dish, in conjunction with tractable animal models, functional agents can now be deployed to pry open the black box and gain insight into the construction of the brain and the pathophysiology of disease. This chapter will use case studies of peer-reviewed and published research to demonstrate the explanatory power of functional agents that serve as ‘molecular can openers’, such as in the case of the functional agent lithium in the context of bipolar disorder. This chapter will also consider the value iPSCs provide to research and development and offer thoughts on the business and translational aspects of this technology as well as share contemplations on the future of this field. This chapter aims to depict how collaboration between basic science laboratories, clinical research institutions, biotechnology businesses, regulatory apparatuses and healthcare providers can not only improve health and profit outcomes but also improve performance along the innovation S-curve.