Neural Cell News Volume 12.08 | Feb 28 2018

TOP STORY

Study Reveals New Insights into Early Stages of Brain Development

Researchers suggest that the fate of brain cells called cortical interneurons are essentially pre-determined by particular genes early during developement, rather than determined by their interaction with other cells later during brain development. [Press release from King’s College London discussing online prepublication in Science] Press Release | Abstract

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Restorative Effects of Human Neural Stem Cell Grafts on the Primate Spinal Cord

Scientists grafted human spinal cord–derived neural progenitor cells into sites of cervical spinal cord injury in rhesus monkeys. Under three-drug immunosuppression, grafts survived at least nine months post injury and expressed both neuronal and glial markers. Monkey axons regenerated into grafts and formed synapses. [Nat Med] Abstract | Press Release | Editorial

Macrophage-Derived Extracellular Succinate Licenses Neural Stem Cells to Suppress Chronic Neuroinflammation

The authors showed that transplanted somatic and directly induced neural stem cells ameliorate chronic CNS inflammation by reducing succinate levels in the cerebrospinal fluid, thereby decreasing mononuclear phagocyte infiltration and secondary CNS damage. [Cell Stem Cell] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Generation of Human Brain Region–Specific Organoids Using a Miniaturized Spinning Bioreactor

Researchers describe the procedures for building the miniaturized multiwell spinning bioreactor SpinΩ from 3D-printed parts and commercially available hardware. They also describe how to use SpinΩ to generate forebrain, midbrain and hypothalamus organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells. [Nat Protoc] Full Article

Nap1l1 Controls Embryonic Neural Progenitor Cell Proliferation and Differentiation in the Developing Brain

Scientists found that Nap1l1 knockdown decreases neural progenitor cell proliferation and induces premature neuronal differentiation during cortical development. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

GDNF/GFRα1 Complex Abrogates Self-Renewing Activity of Cortical Neural Precursors Inducing Their Differentiation

Researchers showed that the GDNF/GFRα1 complex inhibits the self-renewal capacity of mouse cortical neural precursor cells induced by fibroblast growth factor 2, promoting neuronal differentiation. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

An Adeno-Associated Virus-Based Toolkit for Preferential Targeting and Manipulating Quiescent Neural Stem Cells in the Adult Hippocampus

Investigators report a recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 4-based toolkit that preferentially targets hippocampal quiescent neural stem cells (qNSCs) and allows for lineage tracing, functional analyses, and activity manipulation of adult qNSCs. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article

Overexpression of TFEB Drives a Pleiotropic Neurotrophic Effect and Prevents Parkinson’s Disease-Related Neurodegeneration

Scientists assessed the effect of overexpressing transcription factor EB (TFEB) with an adeno-associated viral vector in mouse substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons. They demonstrated that TFEB overexpression drives a previously unknown bona fide neurotrophic effect, giving rise to cell growth, higher tyrosine hydroxylase levels and increased dopamine release in the striatum. [Mol Ther] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

hiPSC-Derived Neural Stem Cells from Patients with Schizophrenia Induce an Impaired Angiogenesis

Investigators characterized the conditioned media of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-derived neural stem cells of schizophrenia patients versus healthy subjects, and its impact on angiogenesis. [Transl Psychiatry] Full Article

Foxm1 Controls a Pro-Stemness MicroRNA Network in Neural Stem Cells

Cerebellar neural stem cells (NSCs) require Hedgehog-Gli signaling for their maintenance and Nanog expression for their self-renewal. To identify novel molecular features of this regulatory pathway, the authors used next-generation sequencing technology to profile mRNA and microRNA expression in cerebellar NSCs, before and after induced differentiation. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Vasopressin-Secreting Neurons Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells through Specific Induction of Dorsal Hypothalamic Progenitors

Investigators established the differentiation method for arginine-vasopressin (AVP)-secreting neurons from human embryonic stem cells by recapitulating in vitro the in vivo embryonic developmental processes of AVP neurons. [Sci Rep] Full Article

New Considerations for hiPSC-Based Models of Neuropsychiatric Disorders

The authors discuss recent advances in psychiatric genomics and post-mortem studies that provide critical insights concerning cell-type composition and sample size that should be considered when designing human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based studies of complex genetic disease. [Mol Psychiatry] Abstract

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Shedding a Tear May Help Diagnose Parkinson’s Disease

Tears may hold clues to whether someone has Parkinson’s disease, according to a preliminary study released. [Press release from American Academy of Neurology discussing research to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 70^th Annual Meeting, Los Angeles] Press Release

Patients to Benefit from New Brain Cancer Research Funding Boost

Brain tumor research in the UK is set to be revolutionized with £45 million in funding by the Department of Health and Social Care and Cancer Research UK. [Cancer Research UK] Press Release

Polaryx Therapeutics Received Orphan Drug Designation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the Treatment of Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis with PLX-200

Polaryx Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotech company developing patient-friendly oral small molecule therapeutics for late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL) and other forms of NCL, commonly known as Batten disease. [Polaryx Therapeutics, Inc (PR Newswire Association LLC.)] Press Release

GeNeuro Receives Orphan Drug Designation from the US FDA for GNbAC1 in Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)

GeNeuro announced that GNbAC1 received Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA in the treatment of CIDP, a rare autoimmune neurological disorder of the peripheral nervous system. [GeNeuro (Business Wire, Inc.)] Press Release

Canadian Science Wins Billions in New Budget

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration released its 2018 budget and scientists couldn’t be happier. It includes almost CAD 4 billion (USD 3.1 billion) in new funding for science over the next five years, a significant portion of which will go to the country’s three granting councils. [Nature News] Editorial

Europe’s Influential Science-Policy Chief on His Successes and Disappointments

Robert-Jan Smits is about to stand down from one of the most important science-policy jobs in Europe. After eight years, he will hand over his role as director-general of the European Commission’s research directorate to Jean-Eric Paquet, currently a deputy-secretary-general at the commission. [Nature News] Editorial

Indian Scientist’s Sacking Spotlights Sexual Harassment

Female scientists in India hope that more academics will report sexual harassment without fear of jeopardizing their career or reputation, after a prominent biologist was sacked for allegedly harassing a staff member. [Nature News] Editorial

Here’s How the Scientists Running for Office Are Doing

They’re trained problem-solvers, but they have to learn to move beyond data to run successful campaigns. [The Atlantic] Editorial

NEW 2018 Cell Dynamics Symposium
May 24-25, 2018
Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Scientist – Molecular Neuroscience (Loyola University Chicago)

NEW Postdoctoral Associate – hiPSC-Based Brain Organoids (Rutgers University)

Research Technologist – Neural (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Postdoctoral Position – Neuroscience and Mitochondrial Physiology (University of Moncton)

Postdoctoral Position – Pain in Mouse Models of Spinal Cord Injury (Indiana University)

Postdoctoral Position – Spinal Cord Injury (Nanyang Technological University)

PhD/Postdoctoral Research Position – Neuroscience (Max Planck Society)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Neurodegeneration (Lund University)

Postdoctoral Associate – Cerebral Organoids (Weill Cornell Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Neural Control of Circulation (The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center)

Multiple Faculty Positions – Neuroscience and Neuroengineering (Tsinghua University)

Postdoctoral Position – Brain Injury and Repair (University of Pennsylvania)

Faculty Members – Neuroscience (Mercer University)

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