A Cell Based Assay To Identify Neuroprotective Molecules for the Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Abstract

This project on ALS stems from our findings that rodent astrocytes expressing mutated SOD1 kill specifically spinal primary and embryonic mouse stem cell-derived motor neurons and that this spinal motor neuron death is triggered by a soluble toxic factor. While we are actively working toward identifying the toxic factor, the topic of this project is to search for neuroprotective small molecules by using ourcell-based model of ALS for high-throughput screening. Recently, we have discovered that DR6 is the receptor that transduces the astrocyte toxicity that kills motor neurons. Thus, as a modification of our initial intend, we have now focused our research effort on this receptor, which is known to be activable in a ligand-independent manner. In keeping with this, we have found that motor neuron can be killed by simply overexpressing DR6 and we are in the process of completing the production of DR6 inducible cell lines that could then be used as a more efficient and reliably reagent to test large library of small molecules.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2016
Accession Number
AD1039105

Entities

People

  • Serge Przedborski

Organizations

  • Columbia University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anatomy
  • Astrocytes
  • Biological Sciences
  • Cell Line
  • Cells
  • Cells (Biology)
  • Molecules
  • Motor Neurons
  • Neurons
  • Production
  • Sclerosis
  • Small Molecules
  • Stem Cells
  • Throughput

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Breast cancer cell signaling and growth regulation.
  • Medical Imaging.
  • Neuroscience

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Biotechnology - Cancer Biotech