Core I: iPSC Core

Human cell models, including induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based models, play an essential role in today’s efforts to better understand the disease etiology of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). Despite that ADRD have been studied for over a century, no treatments that can prevent, stop or reverse its progression are available. The Center’s iPSC Core provides researchers access to cutting-edge human cell-based disease modeling strategies from cohorts of Center participants, experimental services, hands-on training, and protocols for establishing and validating cell models. The iPSC Core aims to grow and diversify its biorepository and extend its technical portfolio by implementing five specific aims. First, the Core will continue to work with the Clinical Core to isolate somatic skin fibroblasts from participants, and reprogram these into iPSC, which undergo rigorous quality control, cataloging, and banking, in order to facilitate prolonged sharing and to support the needs of research projects (Aim 1). Because the Latino population is more likely to develop AD but remains understudied, the Core will focus on generating a diverse selection of samples by establishing a biospecimen cohort from Latino participants, and in a longitudinal fashion (Aim 2). Next, the iPSC Core will extend its services to generate isogenic iPSC lines with genome editing on demand, and provide organoid differentiation services and training for iPSC research on ADRD (Aim 3). Further, by implementing an ‘observatory’ for induced neurons (iNs) directly converted from participants’ fibroblasts, the Core will provide the aging-relevant iN model to the research community (Aim 4). The iPSC Core will also continue providing consulting and hands-on training services across its full portfolio, and support the global goals of our Center, in training, dissemination of skills, tools, and material related to human cell models for ADRD (Aim 5). Overall, through its biospecimens, services, and training, the iPSC Core will facilitate and inspire new cutting-edge research on the mechanisms of neurodegeneration, which is so separately needed to combat ADRD.