2017/06/07
Kyushu University
Keio University
In a joint research project with Professor Hideyuki Okano and his team at the Keio University School of Medicine, a research group from Kyushu University, led by Professor Kinichi Nakashima of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences and Tetsuro Yasui, a fourth-year student in the Doctoral Programs of the same graduate school, has discovered a method to induce the differentiation of human iPS cell-derived neural stem cells into astrocytes. Astrocytes are a type of glial cell that make up the brain and support its function. This new method, which involves culturing the cells under hypoxic conditions, achieves differentiation in a shorter period compared to conventional methods. The group has also elucidated the underlying mechanism.
Furthermore, by applying this method to neural stem cells derived from patients with Rett syndrome—a progressive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by autism, epilepsy, ataxic gait, and distinctive stereotyped movements (hand-wringing)—the group made a world-first discovery. They found that the phenotypes observed in the brains of Rett syndrome patients can be reproduced in a culture system in a short period.
These findings are expected to lead to the elucidation of the causes of a wide range of psychiatric and developmental disorders and contribute to the development of new therapeutic drugs.
The results of this research were published in the online edition of the international academic journal "Stem Cell Reports" at noon on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 (US Eastern Daylight Time).
Please see below for the full press release.