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Ford LC, Lin HC, Tsai HHD, Zhou YH, Wright FA, Sedykh A, Shah RR, Chiu WA, Rusyn I. Hazard and risk characterization of 56 structurally diverse PFAS using a targeted battery of broad coverage assays using six human cell types. Toxicology 2024; 503:153763. [PMID: 38423244 PMCID: PMC11214689 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2024.153763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are extensively used in commerce leading to their prevalence in the environment. Due to their chemical stability, PFAS are considered to be persistent and bioaccumulative; they are frequently detected in both the environment and humans. Because of this, PFAS as a class (composed of hundreds to thousands of chemicals) are contaminants of very high concern. Little information is available for the vast majority of PFAS, and regulatory agencies lack safety data to determine whether exposure limits or restrictions are needed. Cell-based assays are a pragmatic approach to inform decision-makers on potential health hazards; therefore, we hypothesized that a targeted battery of human in vitro assays can be used to determine whether there are structure-bioactivity relationships for PFAS, and to characterize potential risks by comparing bioactivity (points of departure) to exposure estimates. We tested 56 PFAS from 8 structure-based subclasses in concentration response (0.1-100 μM) using six human cell types selected from target organs with suggested adverse effects of PFAS - human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived hepatocytes, neurons, and cardiomyocytes, primary human hepatocytes, endothelial and HepG2 cells. While many compounds were without effect; certain PFAS demonstrated cell-specific activity highlighting the necessity of using a compendium of in vitro models to identify potential hazards. No class-specific groupings were evident except for some chain length- and structure-related trends. In addition, margins of exposure (MOE) were derived using empirical and predicted exposure data. Conservative MOE calculations showed that most tested PFAS had a MOE in the 1-100 range; ∼20% of PFAS had MOE<1, providing tiered priorities for further studies. Overall, we show that a compendium of human cell-based models can be used to derive bioactivity estimates for a range of PFAS, enabling comparisons with human biomonitoring data. Furthermore, we emphasize that establishing structure-bioactivity relationships may be challenging for the tested PFAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie C Ford
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Hsing-Chieh Lin
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Han-Hsuan D Tsai
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Yi-Hui Zhou
- Department of Biological Sciences and Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA; Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Fred A Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences and Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA; Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | | | | | - Weihsueh A Chiu
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Ivan Rusyn
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
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2
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Subramani C, Sharma G, Chaira T, Barman TK. High content screening strategies for large-scale compound libraries with a focus on high-containment viruses. Antiviral Res 2024; 221:105764. [PMID: 38008193 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
A majority of viral diseases do not have FDA-approved drugs. The recent outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV-2, monkeypox, and Sudan ebolavirus have exposed the critical need for rapid screening and identification of antiviral compounds against emerging/re-emerging viral pathogens. A high-content screening (HCS) platform is becoming an essential part of the drug discovery process, thanks to developments in image acquisition and analysis. While HCS has several advantages, its full potential has not been realized in antiviral drug discovery compared to conventional drug screening approaches, such as fluorescence or luminescence-based microplate assays. Therefore, this review aims to summarize HCS workflow, strategies, and developments in image-based drug screening, focusing on high-containment viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandru Subramani
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Galveston National Laboratory, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Ghanshyam Sharma
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Tridib Chaira
- Department of Pharmacology, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana, India
| | - Tarani Kanta Barman
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Galveston National Laboratory, Galveston, TX, USA.
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3
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Sokolov AM, Aurich M, Bordey A. In Utero Electroporated Neurons for Medium-Throughput Screening of Compounds Regulating Neuron Morphology. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0160-23.2023. [PMID: 37620147 PMCID: PMC10464655 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0160-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Several neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with increased mTOR activity that results in pathogenic neuronal dysmorphogenesis (i.e., soma and dendrite overgrowth), leading to circuit alterations associated with epilepsy and neurologic disabilities. Although an mTOR analog is approved for the treatment of epilepsy in one of these disorders, it has limited efficacy and is associated with a wide range of side effects. There is a need to develop novel agents for the treatment of mTOR-pathway related disorders. Here, we developed a medium-throughput phenotypic assay to test drug efficacy on neurite morphogenesis of mouse neurons in a hyperactive mTOR condition. Our assay involved in utero electroporation (IUE) of a selective population of cortical pyramidal neurons with a plasmid encoding the constitutively active mTOR activator, Rheb, and tdTomato. Labeled neurons from the somatosensory cortex (SSC) were cultured onto 96-well plates and fixed at various days in vitro or following Torin 1 treatment. Automated systems were used for image acquisition and neuron morphologic measurements. We validated our automated approach using traditional manual methods of neuron morphologic assessment. Both automated and manual analyses showed increased neurite length and complexity over time, and decreased neurite overgrowth and soma size with Torin 1. These data validate the accuracy of our automated approach that takes hours compared with weeks when using traditional manual methods. Taken together, this assay can be scaled to screen 32 compounds simultaneously in two weeks, highlighting its robustness and efficiency for medium-throughput screening of candidate therapeutics on a defined population of wild-type or diseased neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aidan M Sokolov
- Departments of Neurosurgery, and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8082
| | - Mariana Aurich
- Departments of Neurosurgery, and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8082
| | - Angélique Bordey
- Departments of Neurosurgery, and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8082
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4
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Cordova AC, Klaren WD, Ford LC, Grimm FA, Baker ES, Zhou YH, Wright FA, Rusyn I. Integrative Chemical-Biological Grouping of Complex High Production Volume Substances from Lower Olefin Manufacturing Streams. TOXICS 2023; 11:586. [PMID: 37505552 PMCID: PMC10385386 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11070586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Human cell-based test methods can be used to evaluate potential hazards of mixtures and products of petroleum refining ("unknown or variable composition, complex reaction products, or biological materials" substances, UVCBs). Analyses of bioactivity and detailed chemical characterization of petroleum UVCBs were used separately for grouping these substances; a combination of the approaches has not been undertaken. Therefore, we used a case example of representative high production volume categories of petroleum UVCBs, 25 lower olefin substances from low benzene naphtha and resin oils categories, to determine whether existing manufacturing-based category grouping can be supported. We collected two types of data: nontarget ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry of both neat substances and their organic extracts and in vitro bioactivity of the organic extracts in five human cell types: umbilical vein endothelial cells and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes, endothelial cells, neurons, and cardiomyocytes. We found that while similarity in composition and bioactivity can be observed for some substances, existing categories are largely heterogeneous. Strong relationships between composition and bioactivity were observed, and individual constituents that determine these associations were identified. Overall, this study showed a promising approach that combines chemical composition and bioactivity data to better characterize the variability within manufacturing categories of petroleum UVCBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra C Cordova
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - William D Klaren
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Lucie C Ford
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Fabian A Grimm
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Erin S Baker
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Yi-Hui Zhou
- Departments of Statistics and Biological Sciences and Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Fred A Wright
- Departments of Statistics and Biological Sciences and Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Ivan Rusyn
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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Lear BP, Moore DL. Moving CNS axon growth and regeneration research into human model systems. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1198041. [PMID: 37425013 PMCID: PMC10324669 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1198041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Axon regeneration is limited in the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) due to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Rodent studies have shown that developmental age can drive differences in intrinsic axon growth ability, such that embryonic rodent CNS neurons extend long axons while postnatal and adult CNS neurons do not. In recent decades, scientists have identified several intrinsic developmental regulators in rodents that modulate growth. However, whether this developmentally programmed decline in CNS axon growth is conserved in humans is not yet known. Until recently, there have been limited human neuronal model systems, and even fewer age-specific human models. Human in vitro models range from pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons to directly reprogrammed (transdifferentiated) neurons derived from human somatic cells. In this review, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each system, and how studying axon growth in human neurons can provide species-specific knowledge in the field of CNS axon regeneration with the goal of bridging basic science studies to clinical trials. Additionally, with the increased availability and quality of 'omics datasets of human cortical tissue across development and lifespan, scientists can mine these datasets for developmentally regulated pathways and genes. As there has been little research performed in human neurons to study modulators of axon growth, here we provide a summary of approaches to begin to shift the field of CNS axon growth and regeneration into human model systems to uncover novel drivers of axon growth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Darcie L. Moore
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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Tapia-Monsalves C, Olesen MA, Villavicencio-Tejo F, Quintanilla RA. Cyclosporine A (CsA) prevents synaptic impairment caused by truncated tau by caspase-3. Mol Cell Neurosci 2023; 125:103861. [PMID: 37182572 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2023.103861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
During Alzheimer's (AD), tau protein suffers from abnormal post-translational modifications, including cleaving by caspase-3. These tau forms affect synaptic plasticity contributing to the cognitive decline observed in the early stages of AD. In addition, caspase-3 cleaved tau (TauC3) impairs mitochondrial dynamics and organelles transport, which are both relevant processes for synapse. We recently showed that the absence of tau expression reverts age-associated cognitive and mitochondrial failure by blocking the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). mPTP is a mitochondrial complex involved in calcium regulation and apoptosis. Therefore, we studied the effects of TauC3 against the dendritic spine and synaptic vesicle formation and the possible role of mPTP in these alterations. We used mature hippocampal mice neurons to express a reporter protein (GFP, mCherry), coupled to full-length human tau protein (GFP-T4, mCherry-T4), and coupled to human tau protein cleaved at D421 by caspase-3 (GFP-T4C3, mCherry-T4C3) and synaptic elements were evaluated. Treatment with cyclosporine A (CsA), an immunosuppressive drug with inhibitory activity on mPTP, prevented ROS increase and mitochondrial depolarization induced by TauC3 in hippocampal neurons. These results were corroborated with immortalized cortical neurons in which ROS increase and ATP loss induced by this tau form were prevented by CsA. Interestingly, TauC3 expression significantly reduced dendritic spine density (filopodia type) and synaptic vesicle number in hippocampal neurons. Also, neurons transfected with TauC3 showed a significant accumulation of synaptophysin protein in their soma. More importantly, all these synaptic alterations were prevented by CsA, suggesting an mPTP role in these negative changes derived from TauC3 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carola Tapia-Monsalves
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidad Autonoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Margrethe A Olesen
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidad Autonoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisca Villavicencio-Tejo
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidad Autonoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo A Quintanilla
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidad Autonoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
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7
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Singh N, Patel K, Navalkar A, Kadu P, Datta D, Chatterjee D, Mukherjee S, Shaw R, Gahlot N, Shaw A, Jadhav S, Maji SK. Amyloid fibril-based thixotropic hydrogels for modeling of tumor spheroids in vitro. Biomaterials 2023; 295:122032. [PMID: 36791521 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Biomaterials mimicking extracellular matrices (ECM) for three-dimensional (3D) cultures have gained immense interest in tumor modeling and in vitro organ development. Here, we introduce a new class of amyloid fibril-based peptide hydrogels as a versatile biomimetic ECM scaffold for 3D cell culture and homogenous tumor spheroid modeling. We show that these amyloid fibril-based hydrogels are thixotropic and allow cancer cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration. All seven designed hydrogels support 3D cell culture with five different cancer cell lines forming spheroid with necrotic core and upregulation of the cancer biomarkers. We further developed the homogenous, single spheroid using the drop cast method and the data suggest that all hydrogels support the tumor spheroid formation but with different necrotic core diameters. The detailed gene expression analysis of MCF7 spheroid by microarray suggested the involvement of pro-oncogenes and significant regulatory pathways responsible for tumor spheroid formation. Further, using breast tumor tissue from a mouse xenograft model, we show that selected amyloid hydrogels support the formation of tumor spheroids with a well-defined necrotic core, cancer-associated gene expression, higher drug resistance, and tumor heterogeneity reminiscent of the original tumor. Altogether, we have developed an easy-to-use, rapid, cost-effective, and scalable platform for generating in vitro cancer models for the screening of anti-cancer therapeutics and developing personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namrata Singh
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Komal Patel
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Ambuja Navalkar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Pradeep Kadu
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Debalina Datta
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Debdeep Chatterjee
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Semanti Mukherjee
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Ranjit Shaw
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Nitisha Gahlot
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Abhishek Shaw
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | | | - Samir K Maji
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India.
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8
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Yang J, Hirai Y, Iida K, Ito S, Trumm M, Terada S, Sakai R, Tsuchiya T, Tabata O, Kamei KI. Integrated-gut-liver-on-a-chip platform as an in vitro human model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Commun Biol 2023; 6:310. [PMID: 36959276 PMCID: PMC10036655 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04710-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) afflicts a significant percentage of the population; however, no effective treatments have yet been established because of the unsuitability of in vitro assays and animal experimental models. Here, we present an integrated-gut-liver-on-a-chip (iGLC) platform as an in vitro human model of the gut-liver axis (GLA) by co-culturing human gut and liver cell lines interconnected via microfluidics in a closed circulation loop, for the initiation and progression of NAFLD by treatment with free fatty acids (FFAs) for 1 and 7 days, respectively. Co-cultured Caco-2 gut-mimicking cells and HepG2 hepatocyte-like cells demonstrate the protective effects from apoptosis against FFAs treatment, whereas mono-cultured cells exhibit induced apoptosis. Phenotype and gene expression analyses reveal that the FFAs-treated gut and liver cells accumulated intracellular lipid droplets and show an increase in gene expression associated with a cellular response to copper ions and endoplasmic reticulum stress. As an in vitro human GLA model, the iGLC platform may serve as an alternative to animal experiments for investigating the mechanisms of NAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiandong Yang
- Department of Micro Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8540, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Hirai
- Department of Micro Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8540, Japan.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Science, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8540, Japan.
| | - Kei Iida
- Medical Research Support Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida Konoe-cho, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashiosaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan
| | - Shinji Ito
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashiosaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan
| | - Marika Trumm
- Department of Micro Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8540, Japan
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
- Institute for Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany
| | - Shiho Terada
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Risako Sakai
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Tsuchiya
- Department of Micro Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8540, Japan
| | - Osamu Tabata
- Department of Micro Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8540, Japan
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
- Faculty of Engineering/Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Gotanda-cho, Yamanouchi, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8577, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichiro Kamei
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
- Wuya College of Innovation, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 110016, Liaoning, China.
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 110016, Liaoning, China.
- Programs of Biology and Bioengineering, Divisions of Science and Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
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Lu HR, Seo M, Kreir M, Tanaka T, Yamoto R, Altrocchi C, van Ammel K, Tekle F, Pham L, Yao X, Teisman A, Gallacher DJ. High-Throughput Screening Assay for Detecting Drug-Induced Changes in Synchronized Neuronal Oscillations and Potential Seizure Risk Based on Ca 2+ Fluorescence Measurements in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (hiPSC)-Derived Neuronal 2D and 3D Cultures. Cells 2023; 12:cells12060958. [PMID: 36980298 PMCID: PMC10046961 DOI: 10.3390/cells12060958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug-induced seizure liability is a significant safety issue and the basis for attrition in drug development. Occurrence in late development results in increased costs, human risk, and delayed market availability of novel therapeutics. Therefore, there is an urgent need for biologically relevant, in vitro high-throughput screening assays (HTS) to predict potential risks for drug-induced seizure early in drug discovery. We investigated drug-induced changes in neural Ca2+ oscillations, using fluorescent dyes as a potential indicator of seizure risk, in hiPSC-derived neurons co-cultured with human primary astrocytes in both 2D and 3D forms. The dynamics of synchronized neuronal calcium oscillations were measured with an FDSS kinetics reader. Drug responses in synchronized Ca2+ oscillations were recorded in both 2D and 3D hiPSC-derived neuron/primary astrocyte co-cultures using positive controls (4-aminopyridine and kainic acid) and negative control (acetaminophen). Subsequently, blinded tests were carried out for 25 drugs with known clinical seizure incidence. Positive predictive value (accuracy) based on significant changes in the peak number of Ca2+ oscillations among 25 reference drugs was 91% in 2D vs. 45% in 3D hiPSC-neuron/primary astrocyte co-cultures. These data suggest that drugs that alter neuronal activity and may have potential risk for seizures can be identified with high accuracy using an HTS approach using the measurements of Ca2+ oscillations in hiPSC-derived neurons co-cultured with primary astrocytes in 2D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua-Rong Lu
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety, Janssen R&D, A Division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Manabu Seo
- Elixirgen Scientific, Incorporated, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Mohamed Kreir
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety, Janssen R&D, A Division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Tetsuya Tanaka
- Elixirgen Scientific, Incorporated, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Rie Yamoto
- Healthcare Business Group, Drug Discovery Business Department, Ricoh Company Ltd., Tokyo 143-8555, Japan
| | - Cristina Altrocchi
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety, Janssen R&D, A Division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Karel van Ammel
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety, Janssen R&D, A Division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Fetene Tekle
- Statistics and Decision Sciences, Global Development, Janssen R&D, A Division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Ly Pham
- Computational Biology & Toxicology, Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety, A Division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, San Diego, CA 921921, USA
| | - Xiang Yao
- Computational Biology & Toxicology, Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety, A Division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, San Diego, CA 921921, USA
| | - Ard Teisman
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety, Janssen R&D, A Division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - David J Gallacher
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety, Janssen R&D, A Division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
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10
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Yang H, Obrezanova O, Pointon A, Stebbeds W, Francis J, Beattie KA, Clements P, Harvey JS, Smith GF, Bender A. Prediction of inotropic effect based on calcium transients in human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and machine learning. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2023; 459:116342. [PMID: 36502871 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2022.116342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Functional changes to cardiomyocytes are undesirable during drug discovery and identifying the inotropic effects of compounds is hence necessary to decrease the risk of cardiovascular adverse effects in the clinic. Recently, approaches leveraging calcium transients in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have been developed to detect contractility changes, induced by a variety of mechanisms early during drug discovery projects. Although these approaches have been able to provide some predictive ability, we hypothesised that using additional waveform parameters could offer improved insights, as well as predictivity. In this study, we derived 25 parameters from each calcium transient waveform and developed a modified Random Forest method to predict the inotropic effects of the compounds. In total annotated data for 48 compounds were available for modelling, out of which 31 were inotropes. The results show that the Random Forest model with a modified purity criterion performed slightly better than an unmodified algorithm in terms of the Area Under the Curve, giving values of 0.84 vs 0.81 in a cross-validation, and outperformed the ToxCast Pipeline model, for which the highest value was 0.76 when using the best-performing parameter, PW10. Our study hence demonstrates that more advanced parameters derived from waveforms, in combination with additional machine learning methods, provide improved predictivity of cardiovascular risk associated with inotropic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongbin Yang
- Centre for Molecular Informatics, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Olga Obrezanova
- Imaging and Data Analytics, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Amy Pointon
- Functional and Mechanistic Safety, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Will Stebbeds
- Screening Profiling and Mechanistic Biology, Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, UK
| | - Jo Francis
- Mechanistic & Structural Biology, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kylie A Beattie
- Target and Systems Safety, Non-Clinical Safety, In Vivo/In Vitro Translation, GlaxoSmithKline, Ware, UK
| | - Peter Clements
- Pathology UK, Non-Clinical Safety, In Vivo/In Vitro Translation, GlaxoSmithKline, Ware, UK
| | - James S Harvey
- Target and Systems Safety, Non-Clinical Safety, In Vivo/In Vitro Translation, GlaxoSmithKline, Ware, UK
| | - Graham F Smith
- Imaging and Data Analytics, Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andreas Bender
- Centre for Molecular Informatics, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK.
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11
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Zhang L, Li S, Xia M. High-Throughput Neurite Outgrowth Assay Using GFP-Labeled iPSC-Derived Neurons. Curr Protoc 2022; 2:e542. [PMID: 36102902 PMCID: PMC9635626 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The potential neurotoxicity from an increasing number of drugs and untested environmental chemicals creates a need to develop reliable and efficient in vitro methods for identifying chemicals that may adversely affect the nervous system. An important process in neurodevelopment is neurite outgrowth, which can be affected by developmental neurotoxicity. Currently, neurite outgrowth assays rely mainly on staining, which requires multiple sample processing steps, particularly washing steps, that may introduce variation and limit throughput. Here, we describe a neurite outgrowth assay that uses induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived human cortical glutamatergic neurons and/or spinal motor neurons labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) to test compounds in a high-content and high-throughput format. This method enables live and time-lapse imaging of GFP-labeled neurons using an assay plate that is continuously imaged at multiple times after chemical treatment. In this article, we describe how to thaw frozen GFP-labeled neurons, culture them, treat them with a compound of interest, and analyze neurite outgrowth using a high-content imaging platform. In this assay, GFP-labeled iPSC-derived human neurons represent a promising tool for identifying and prioritizing compounds with potential developmental neurotoxicity for further hazard characterization. © 2022 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA. Basic Protocol 1: Thawing and seeding of iPSC-derived neurons Basic Protocol 2: Compound plate preparation and treatment of neurons Basic Protocol 3: High-content imaging and analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhang
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Shuaizhang Li
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Menghang Xia
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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12
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Pai VP, Cooper BG, Levin M. Screening Biophysical Sensors and Neurite Outgrowth Actuators in Human Induced-Pluripotent-Stem-Cell-Derived Neurons. Cells 2022; 11:cells11162470. [PMID: 36010547 PMCID: PMC9406775 DOI: 10.3390/cells11162470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
All living cells maintain a charge distribution across their cell membrane (membrane potential) by carefully controlled ion fluxes. These bioelectric signals regulate cell behavior (such as migration, proliferation, differentiation) as well as higher-level tissue and organ patterning. Thus, voltage gradients represent an important parameter for diagnostics as well as a promising target for therapeutic interventions in birth defects, injury, and cancer. However, despite much progress in cell and molecular biology, little is known about bioelectric states in human stem cells. Here, we present simple methods to simultaneously track ion dynamics, membrane voltage, cell morphology, and cell activity (pH and ROS), using fluorescent reporter dyes in living human neurons derived from induced neural stem cells (hiNSC). We developed and tested functional protocols for manipulating ion fluxes, membrane potential, and cell activity, and tracking neural responses to injury and reinnervation in vitro. Finally, using morphology sensor, we tested and quantified the ability of physiological actuators (neurotransmitters and pH) to manipulate nerve repair and reinnervation. These methods are not specific to a particular cell type and should be broadly applicable to the study of bioelectrical controls across a wide range of combinations of models and endpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhav P. Pai
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Ben G. Cooper
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
- Correspondence:
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13
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Sefiani A, Rusyn I, Geoffroy CG. Novel adult cortical neuron processing and screening method illustrates sex- and age-dependent effects of pharmaceutical compounds. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13125. [PMID: 35908049 PMCID: PMC9338961 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17389-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases and neurotraumatic injuries are typically age-associated disorders that can reduce neuron survival, neurite outgrowth, and synaptic plasticity leading to loss of cognitive capacity, executive function, and motor control. In pursuit of reducing the loss of said neurological functions, novel compounds are sought that promote neuron viability, neuritogenesis, and/or synaptic plasticity. Current high content in vitro screenings typically use cells that are iPSC-derived, embryonic, or originate from post-natal tissues; however, most patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases and neurotrauma are of middle-age and older. The chasm in maturity between the neurons used in drug screens and those in a target population is a barrier for translational success of in vitro results. It has been historically challenging to culture adult neurons let alone conduct screenings; therefore, age-appropriate drug screenings have previously not been plausible. We have modified Miltenyi’s protocol to increase neuronal yield, neuron purity, and neural viability at a reduced cost to expand our capacity to screen compounds directly in primary adult neurons. To our knowledge, we developed the first morphology-based screening system using adult cortical neurons and the first to incorporate age and sex as biological variables in a screen using adult cortical neurons. By using primary adult cortical neurons from mice that were 4 to 48 weeks old for screening pharmaceutical agents, we have demonstrated age- and sex-dependent effects on neuritogenesis and neuron survival in vitro. Utilizing age- and sex-appropriate in vitro models to find novel compounds increasing neuron survival and neurite outgrowth, made possible by our modified adult neuron processing method, will greatly increase the relevance of in vitro screening for finding neuroprotective compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Sefiani
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Ivan Rusyn
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Cédric G Geoffroy
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA.
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14
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LaNoce E, Dumeng-Rodriguez J, Christian KM. Using 2D and 3D pluripotent stem cell models to study neurotropic viruses. FRONTIERS IN VIROLOGY 2022; 2:869657. [PMID: 36325520 PMCID: PMC9624474 DOI: 10.3389/fviro.2022.869657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the impact of viral pathogens on the human central nervous system (CNS) has been challenging due to the lack of viable human CNS models for controlled experiments to determine the causal factors underlying pathogenesis. Human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and, more recently, cellular reprogramming of adult somatic cells to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide opportunities for directed differentiation to neural cells that can be used to evaluate the impact of known and emerging viruses on neural cell types. Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can be induced to neural lineages in either two- (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) cultures, each bearing distinct advantages and limitations for modeling viral pathogenesis and evaluating effective therapeutics. Here we review the current state of technology in stem cell-based modeling of the CNS and how these models can be used to determine viral tropism and identify cellular phenotypes to investigate virus-host interactions and facilitate drug screening. We focus on several viruses (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), Zika virus (ZIKV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), SARS-CoV-2, West Nile virus (WNV)) to illustrate key advantages, as well as challenges, of PSC-based models. We also discuss how human PSC-based models can be used to evaluate the safety and efficacy of therapeutic drugs by generating data that are complementary to existing preclinical models. Ultimately, these efforts could facilitate the movement towards personalized medicine and provide patients and physicians with an additional source of information to consider when evaluating available treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma LaNoce
- Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jeriel Dumeng-Rodriguez
- Developmental, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Program, Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Kimberly M. Christian
- Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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15
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Singh S, Vashisth P, Meena VK, Kalyanasundaram D. Cellular studies and sustained drug delivery via nanostructures fabricated on 3D printed porous Neovius lattices of Ti6Al4V ELI. Biomed Mater 2022; 17. [PMID: 35447615 DOI: 10.1088/1748-605x/ac6922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific drug delivery has the potential to reduce drug dosage by 3 to 5-folds. Given the propensity of drugs used in the treatment of tuberculosis and cancers, the increased drug dosages via oral ingestion for several months to a few years of medication is often detrimental to the health of patients. In this study, the sustained delivery of drugs with multiscale structured novel Neovius lattices was achieved. 3D Neovius Open Cell Lattices (NOCL) with porosities of 40, 45, and 50 % were fabricated layer-by-layer on the laser bed fusion process. Micron-sized Ti6Al4V Eli powder was used for 3D printing. The Young's modulus achieved from the novel Neovius lattices were in the range of 1.2 to 1.6 GPa, which is comparable to human cortical bone and helps to improve implant failure due to the stress shielding effect. To provide sustained drug delivery, nanotubes (NTs) were fabricated on NOCLs via high-voltage anodisation. The osteogenic agent icariin was loaded onto the NOCL-NT samples and their release profiles were studied for 7 days. A significantly steady and slow release rate of 0.05% per hour of the drug was achieved using NOCL-NT. In addition, the initial burst release of NOCL-NT was 4 fold lower than that of the open-cell lattices without nanotubes. Cellular studies using MG63 human osteoblast-like cells were performed to determine their biocompatibility and osteogenesis which were analysed using Calcein AM staining and Alamar Blue after 1, 5, and 7 days. 3D printed NOCL samples with NTs and with Icariin loaded NTs demonstrated a significant increase in cell proliferation as compared to as printed NOCL samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonu Singh
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Centre for Biomedical Engineering, New Delhi, 110016, INDIA
| | - Priya Vashisth
- Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, II/253, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, New Delhi, 110016, INDIA
| | - Vijay Kumar Meena
- Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, CSIR, Chandigarh, New Delhi, 110001, INDIA
| | - Dinesh Kalyanasundaram
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Centre for Biomedical Engineering, New Delhi, 110016, INDIA
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16
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Buccino AP, Yuan X, Emmenegger V, Xue X, Gänswein T, Hierlemann A. An automated method for precise axon reconstruction from recordings of high-density micro-electrode arrays. J Neural Eng 2022; 19. [PMID: 35234667 PMCID: PMC7612575 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ac59a2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Objective Neurons communicate with each other by sending action potentials through their axons. The velocity of axonal signal propagation describes how fast electrical action potentials can travel. This velocity can be affected in a human brain by several pathologies, including multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury and channelopathies. High-density microelectrode arrays (HD-MEAs) provide unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution to extracellularly record neural electrical activity. The high density of the recording electrodes enables to image the activity of individual neurons down to subcellular resolution, which includes the propagation of axonal signals. However, axon reconstruction, to date, mainly relies on manual approaches to select the electrodes and channels that seemingly record the signals along a specific axon, while an automated approach to track multiple axonal branches in extracellular action-potential recordings is still missing. Approach In this article, we propose a fully automated approach to reconstruct axons from extracellular electrical-potential landscapes, so-called “electrical footprints” of neurons. After an initial electrode and channel selection, the proposed method first constructs a graph based on the voltage signal amplitudes and latencies. Then, the graph is interrogated to extract possible axonal branches. Finally, the axonal branches are pruned, and axonal action-potential propagation velocities are computed. Main results We first validate our method using simulated data from detailed reconstructions of neurons, showing that our approach is capable of accurately reconstructing axonal branches. We then apply the reconstruction algorithm to experimental recordings of HD-MEAs and show that it can be used to determine axonal morphologies and signal-propagation velocities at high throughput. Significance We introduce a fully automated method to reconstruct axonal branches and estimate axonal action-potential propagation velocities using HD-MEA recordings. Our method yields highly reliable and reproducible velocity estimations, which constitute an important electrophysiological feature of neuronal preparations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xinyue Yuan
- D-BSSE, ETH Zürich, Basel, Zurich, 8092, SWITZERLAND
| | | | - Xiaohan Xue
- D-BSSE, ETH Zürich, Basel, Zurich, 8092, SWITZERLAND
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17
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Optimised techniques for high-throughput screening of differentiated SH-SY5Y cells and application for neurite outgrowth assays. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23935. [PMID: 34907283 PMCID: PMC8671469 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03442-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal models are a crucial tool in neuroscientific research, helping to elucidate the molecular and cellular processes involved in disorders of the nervous system. Adapting these models to a high-throughput format enables simultaneous screening of multiple agents within a single assay. SH-SY5Y cells have been widely used as a neuronal model, yet commonly in an undifferentiated state that is not representative of mature neurons. Differentiation of the SH-SY5Y cells is a necessary step to obtain cells that express mature neuronal markers. Despite this understanding, the absence of a standardised protocol has limited the use of differentiated SH-SY5Y cells in high-throughput assay formats. Here, we describe techniques to differentiate and re-plate SH-SY5Y cells within a 96-well plate for high-throughput screening. SH-SY5Y cells seeded at an initial density of 2,500 cells/well in a 96-well plate provide sufficient space for neurites to extend, without impacting cell viability. Room temperature pre-incubation for 1 h improved the plating homogeneity within the well and the ability to analyse neurites. We then demonstrated the efficacy of our techniques by optimising it further for neurite outgrowth analysis. The presented methods achieve homogenously distributed differentiated SH-SY5Y cells, useful for researchers using these cells in high-throughput screening assays.
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18
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Considerations for a Reliable In Vitro Model of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy. TOXICS 2021; 9:toxics9110300. [PMID: 34822690 PMCID: PMC8620674 DOI: 10.3390/toxics9110300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is widely recognized as a potentially severe toxicity that often leads to dose reduction or discontinuation of cancer treatment. Symptoms may persist despite discontinuation of chemotherapy and quality of life can be severely compromised. The clinical symptoms of CIPN, and the cellular and molecular targets involved in CIPN, are just as diverse as the wide variety of anticancer agents that cause peripheral neurotoxicity. There is an urgent need for extensive molecular and functional investigations aimed at understanding the mechanisms of CIPN. Furthermore, a reliable human cell culture system that recapitulates the diversity of neuronal modalities found in vivo and the pathophysiological changes that underlie CIPN would serve to advance the understanding of the pathogenesis of CIPN. The demonstration of experimental reproducibility in a human peripheral neuronal cell system will increase confidence that such an in vitro model is clinically useful, ultimately resulting in deeper exploration for the prevention and treatment of CIPN. Herein, we review current in vitro models with a focus on key characteristics and attributes desirable for an ideal human cell culture model relevant for CIPN investigations.
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19
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Chen Z, Lloyd D, Zhou YH, Chiu WA, Wright FA, Rusyn I. Risk Characterization of Environmental Samples Using In Vitro Bioactivity and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Concentrations Data. Toxicol Sci 2021; 179:108-120. [PMID: 33165562 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfaa166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Methods to assess environmental exposure to hazardous chemicals have primarily focused on quantification of individual chemicals, although chemicals often occur in mixtures, presenting challenges to the traditional risk characterization framework. Sampling sites in a defined geographic region provide an opportunity to characterize chemical contaminants, with spatial interpolation as a tool to provide estimates for non-sampled sites. At the same time, the use of in vitro bioactivity measurements has been shown to be informative for rapid risk-based decisions. In this study, we measured in vitro bioactivity in 39 surface soil samples collected immediately after flooding associated with Hurricane Harvey in Texas in a residential area known to be inundated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminants. Bioactivity data were from a number of functional and toxicity assays in 5 human cell types, such as induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes, cardiomyocytes, neurons, and endothelial cells, as well as human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Data on concentrations of PAH in these samples were also available and the combination of data sources offered a unique opportunity to assess the joint spatial variation of PAH components and bioactivity. We found significant evidence of spatial correlation of a subset of PAH contaminants and of cell-based phenotypes. In addition, we show that the cell-based bioactivity data can be used to predict environmental concentrations for several PAH contaminants, as well as overall PAH summaries and cancer risk. This study's impact lies in its demonstration that cell-based profiling can be used for rapid hazard screening of environmental samples by anchoring the bioassays to concentrations of PAH. This work sets the stage for identification of the areas of concern and direct quantitative risk characterization based on bioactivity data, thereby providing an important supplement to traditional individual chemical analyses by shedding light on constituents that may be missed from targeted chemical monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zunwei Chen
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology.,Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
| | - Dillon Lloyd
- Bioinformatics Research Center.,Departments of Biological Sciences and Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
| | - Yi-Hui Zhou
- Bioinformatics Research Center.,Departments of Biological Sciences and Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
| | - Weihsueh A Chiu
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology.,Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
| | - Fred A Wright
- Bioinformatics Research Center.,Departments of Biological Sciences and Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
| | - Ivan Rusyn
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology.,Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
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20
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MacMullen C, Davis RL. High-Throughput Phenotypic Assay for Compounds That Influence Mitochondrial Health Using iPSC-Derived Human Neurons. SLAS DISCOVERY 2021; 26:811-822. [PMID: 33724077 DOI: 10.1177/24725552211000671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
There is a critical need to develop high-throughput assays to identify compounds that offer therapy for individuals suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. Most brain disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases, share the common neuropathology of mitochondria dysfunction, which can lead to apoptosis of neurons, overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and other cellular neuropathologies characteristic of these diseases. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with a stable genomic insertion of the neurogenin-2 transcription factor under the control of the TetOn promoter can be differentiated into excitatory human neurons (i3Neurons) within 3 days of exposure to doxycycline. These neurons have been used to develop and validate a live-cell assay for parameters of mitochondrial dynamics and function using two compounds known to promote mitochondrial elongation in mouse neurons, 4-hydroxychalcone and 2,4-dihyrdroxychalcone. The assay involves plating the neurons in 384-well microtiter plates, treating them with known or unknown substances, and then capturing morphological information for the neuronal mitochondria using a lentivirus vector to express a mitochondrial-targeted fluorescence reporter. The i3Neuron cultures exposed to these two compounds for 24 h exhibit significantly decreased circularity and significantly increased length compared to controls, two morphological parameters correlated with increased mitochondrial health. The assay is rapid, with results obtained after a one-week-long i3Neuron culture or one month if neurons are co-cultured with astrocytes. This live-cell, mitochondrial phenotypic assay can be used for high-throughput screening or as an orthogonal assay for compounds obtained via other high-throughput screening campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney MacMullen
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Ronald L Davis
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA
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21
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Hsieh NH, Chen Z, Rusyn I, Chiu WA. Risk Characterization and Probabilistic Concentration-Response Modeling of Complex Environmental Mixtures Using New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) Data from Organotypic in Vitro Human Stem Cell Assays. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2021; 129:17004. [PMID: 33395322 PMCID: PMC7781439 DOI: 10.1289/ehp7600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Risk assessment of chemical mixtures or complex substances remains a major methodological challenge due to lack of available hazard or exposure data. Therefore, risk assessors usually infer hazard or risk from data on the subset of constituents with available toxicity values. OBJECTIVES We evaluated the validity of the widely used traditional mixtures risk assessment paradigms, Independent Action (IA) and Concentration Addition (CA), with new approach methodologies (NAMs) data from human cell-based in vitro assays. METHODS A diverse set of 42 chemicals was tested both individually and as mixtures for functional and cytotoxic effects in vitro. A panel of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs)-derived models (hepatocytes, cardiomyocytes, endothelial, and neurons) and one primary cell type (HUVEC) were used. Bayesian concentration-response modeling of individual chemicals or their mixtures was performed for a total of 47 phenotypes to derive point-of-departure (POD) values. Probabilistic IA or CA was conducted to estimate the mixture effects based on the bioactivity profiles from the individual chemicals and compared with mixture bioactivity. RESULTS All mixtures showed significant bioactivity, even though some were constructed using individual chemical concentrations considered "low" or "safe." Even though CA is much more accurate as a predictor of mixture effects in comparison with IA, with CA-based POD typically within an order of magnitude of the actual mixture, in some cases, the bioactivity of the mixtures appeared to be much greater than that of their components under either additivity assumption. DISCUSSION These results suggest that CA is a preferred first approximation for predicting mixture toxicity when data for all constituents are available. However, because the accuracy of additivity assumptions varies greatly across phenotypes, we posit that mixtures and complex substances need to be directly tested for their hazard potential. NAMs provide a practical solution that rapidly yields highly informative data for mixtures risk assessment. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7600.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan-Hung Hsieh
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology and Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Zunwei Chen
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology and Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Ivan Rusyn
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology and Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Weihsueh A. Chiu
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology and Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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22
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Silva MC, Haggarty SJ. Human pluripotent stem cell-derived models and drug screening in CNS precision medicine. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2020; 1471:18-56. [PMID: 30875083 PMCID: PMC8193821 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Development of effective therapeutics for neurological disorders has historically been challenging partly because of lack of accurate model systems in which to investigate disease etiology and test new therapeutics at the preclinical stage. Human stem cells, particularly patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) upon differentiation, have the ability to recapitulate aspects of disease pathophysiology and are increasingly recognized as robust scalable systems for drug discovery. We review advances in deriving cellular models of human central nervous system (CNS) disorders using iPSCs along with strategies for investigating disease-relevant phenotypes, translatable biomarkers, and therapeutic targets. Given their potential to identify novel therapeutic targets and leads, we focus on phenotype-based, small-molecule screens employing human stem cell-derived models. Integrated efforts to assemble patient iPSC-derived cell models with deeply annotated clinicopathological data, along with molecular and drug-response signatures, may aid in the stratification of patients, diagnostics, and clinical trial success, shifting translational science and precision medicine approaches. A number of remaining challenges, including the optimization of cost-effective, large-scale culture of iPSC-derived cell types, incorporation of aging into neuronal models, as well as robustness and automation of phenotypic assays to support quantitative drug efficacy, toxicity, and metabolism testing workflows, are covered. Continued advancement of the field is expected to help fully humanize the process of CNS drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Catarina Silva
- Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Genomic Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA
| | - Stephen J. Haggarty
- Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Genomic Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA
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23
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Chen Z, Liu Y, Wright FA, Chiu WA, Rusyn I. Rapid hazard characterization of environmental chemicals using a compendium of human cell lines from different organs. ALTEX 2020; 37:623-638. [PMID: 32521033 PMCID: PMC7941183 DOI: 10.14573/altex.2002291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The lack of adequate toxicity data for the vast majority of chemicals in the environment has spurred the development of new approach methodologies (NAMs). This study aimed to develop a practical high-throughput in vitro model for rapidly evaluating potential hazards of chemicals using a small number of human cells. Forty-two compounds were tested using human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells (hepatocytes, neurons, cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells), and a primary endothelial cell line. Both functional and cytotoxicity endpoints were evaluated using high-content imaging. Concentration-response was used to derive points-of-departure (POD). PODs were integrated with ToxPi and used as surrogate NAM-based PODs for risk characterization. We found chemical class-specific similarity among the chemicals tested; metal salts exhibited the highest overall bioactivity. We also observed cell type-specific patterns among classes of chemicals, indicating the ability of the proposed in vitro model to recognize effects on different cell types. Compared to available NAM datasets, such as ToxCast/Tox21 and chemical structure-based descriptors, we found that the data from the five-cell-type model was as good or even better in assigning compounds to chemical classes. Additionally, the PODs from this model performed well as a conservative surrogate for regulatory in vivo PODs and were less likely to underestimate in vivo potency and potential risk compared to other NAM-based PODs. In summary, we demonstrate the potential of this in vitro screening model to inform rapid risk-based decision-making through ranking, clustering, and assessment of both hazard and risks of diverse environmental chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zunwei Chen
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Yizhong Liu
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Fred A. Wright
- Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Departments of Statistics and Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Weihsueh A. Chiu
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Ivan Rusyn
- Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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24
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Mitophagy in Parkinson's disease: From pathogenesis to treatment target. Neurochem Int 2020; 138:104756. [PMID: 32428526 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2020.104756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Healthy mitochondria play an essential role in energy metabolism, but dysfunctional mitochondria can cause perturbations in cellular processes which can ultimately lead to cell death. The process which selectively removes and degrades dysfunctional mitochondria, mitophagy, protects against the accumulation of abnormal mitochondria and hence has a protective role in maintaining cell health. Increasing numbers of studies have linked defective mitophagy to a range of diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD). Whilst current treatment strategies in PD can improve the classical motor symptoms of the disease, they are also associated with often severe side-effects, and generally do not tackle the underlying progressive neurodegeneration seen in the disease. The identification of novel treatment targets, such as mitophagy, are therefore of increasing interest in PD research. This review will begin by outlining the process of mitophagy, before examining evidence implicating mitophagy in both monogenic and sporadic forms of PD, drawing links between mitophagy and wider pathological processes such as protein accumulation and neuroinflammation. Finally, this review will examine the diverse strategies employed to promote mitophagy so far, discuss considerations arising from these studies, and present a framework for eventual assessment of mitophagy-promoting compounds and their viability as a treatment strategy for PD patients.
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25
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Freel BA, Sheets JN, Francis KR. iPSC modeling of rare pediatric disorders. J Neurosci Methods 2019; 332:108533. [PMID: 31811832 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.108533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Discerning the underlying pathological mechanisms and the identification of therapeutic strategies to treat individuals affected with rare neurological diseases has proven challenging due to a host of factors. For instance, rare diseases affecting the nervous system are inherently lacking in appropriate patient sample availability compared to more common diseases, while animal models often do not accurately recapitulate specific disease phenotypes. These challenges impede research that may otherwise illuminate aspects of disease initiation and progression, leading to the ultimate identification of potential therapeutics. The establishment of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as a human cellular model with defined genetics has provided the unique opportunity to study rare diseases within a controlled environment. iPSC models enable researchers to define mutational effects on specific cell types and signaling pathways within increasingly complex systems. Among rare diseases, pediatric diseases affecting neurodevelopment and neurological function highlight the critical need for iPSC-based disease modeling due to the inherent difficulty associated with collecting human neural tissue and the complexity of the mammalian nervous system. Rare neurodevelopmental disorders are therefore ideal candidates for utilization of iPSC-based in vitro studies. In this review, we address both the state of the iPSC field in the context of their utility and limitations for neurodevelopmental studies, as well as speculating about the future applications and unmet uses for iPSCs in rare diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany A Freel
- Cellular Therapies and Stem Cell Biology Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Jordan N Sheets
- Cellular Therapies and Stem Cell Biology Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Kevin R Francis
- Cellular Therapies and Stem Cell Biology Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
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26
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Li S, Xia M. Review of high-content screening applications in toxicology. Arch Toxicol 2019; 93:3387-3396. [PMID: 31664499 PMCID: PMC7011178 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-019-02593-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
High-content screening (HCS) technology combining automated microscopy and quantitative image analysis can address biological questions in academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Various HCS experimental applications have been utilized in the research field of in vitro toxicology. In this review, we describe several HCS application approaches used for studying the mechanism of compound toxicity, highlight some challenges faced in the toxicological community, and discuss the future directions of HCS in regards to new models, new reagents, data management, and informatics. Many specialized areas of toxicology including developmental toxicity, genotoxicity, developmental neurotoxicity/neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity will be examined. In addition, several newly developed cellular assay models including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), three-dimensional (3D) cell models, and tissues-on-a-chip will be discussed. New genome-editing technologies (e.g., CRISPR/Cas9), data analyzing tools for imaging, and coupling with high-content assays will be reviewed. Finally, the applications of machine learning to image processing will be explored. These new HCS approaches offer a huge step forward in dissecting biological processes, developing drugs, and making toxicology studies easier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuaizhang Li
- Division for Pre-Clinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Menghang Xia
- Division for Pre-Clinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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27
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On-chip label-free determination of cell survival rate. Biosens Bioelectron 2019; 148:111820. [PMID: 31706174 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2019.111820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Cell survival rate (CSR) is a very important parameter in biological and medical fields. Today, the routine method to determine this parameter is time-consuming; it also makes the labeled cells no longer useable for subsequent experiments. Here, we developed an on-chip label-free method for determining the CSR. For the method, a hypertonic stimulus was designed to create volume differences between living and dead cells, and then, the differences were characterized with measurements of impedance as the cells flowed through two electrodes. Based on the method, a microfluidic hypertonic stimulus-based impedance flow cytometry chip (HSIFC) was designed, and the localized function of the HSIFC was verified. Finally, the performance of the HSIFC was confirmed by measuring the different CSRs for the different types of cells. The results show that the HSIFC can accurately determine the CSR, and the accuracy is comparable to that of flow cytometry. This work paves the way for the label-free evaluation of CSR after various cell manipulations and treatments on the chip and promotes the versatility of lab-on-a-chip devices.
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28
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Li J, Settivari R, LeBaron MJ, Marty MS. An industry perspective: A streamlined screening strategy using alternative models for chemical assessment of developmental neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicology 2019; 73:17-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2019.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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29
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Papariello A, Newell-Litwa K. Human-Derived Brain Models: Windows into Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Drug Therapies. Assay Drug Dev Technol 2019; 18:79-88. [PMID: 31090445 DOI: 10.1089/adt.2019.922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-derived neurons and brain organoids have revolutionized our ability to model brain development in a dish. In this review, we discuss the potential for human brain models to advance drug discovery for complex neuropsychiatric disorders. First, we address the advantages of human brain models to screen for new drugs capable of altering CNS activity. Next, we propose an experimental pipeline for using human-derived neurons and brain organoids to rapidly assess drug impact on key events in brain development, including neurite extension, synapse formation, and neural activity. The experimental pipeline begins with automated high content imaging for analysis of neurites, synapses, and neuronal viability. Following morphological examination, multi-well microelectrode array technology examines neural activity in response to drug treatment. These techniques can be combined with high throughput sequencing and mass spectrometry to assess associated transcriptional and proteomic changes. These combined technologies provide a foundation for neuropsychiatric drug discovery and future clinical assessment of patient-specific drug responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Papariello
- Graduate Program of Pharmacology and Toxicology, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina
| | - Karen Newell-Litwa
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina
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30
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Klaren WD, Rusyn I. High-Content Assay Multiplexing for Muscle Toxicity Screening in Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Skeletal Myoblasts. Assay Drug Dev Technol 2018; 16:333-342. [PMID: 30070899 DOI: 10.1089/adt.2018.860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Skeletal muscle-associated toxicity is an underresearched area in the field of high-throughput toxicity screening; hence, the potential adverse effects of drugs and chemicals on skeletal muscle are largely unknown. Novel organotypic microphysiological in vitro models are being developed to replicate the contractile function of skeletal muscle; however, the throughput and a need for specialized equipment may limit the utility of these tissue chip models for screening. In addition, recent developments in stem cell biology have resulted in the generation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived skeletal myoblasts that enable high-throughput in vitro screening. This study set out to develop a high-throughput multiplexed assay using iPSC-derived skeletal myoblasts that can be used as a first-pass screen to assess the potential for chemicals to affect skeletal muscle. We found that cytotoxicity and cytoskeletal integrity are most useful and reproducible assays for the skeletal myoblasts when evaluating overall cellular health or gauging disruptions in actin polymerization following 24 h of exposure. Both assays are based on high-content imaging and quantitative image processing to derive quantitative phenotypes. Both assays showed good to excellent assay robustness and reproducibility measured by interplate and interday replicability, coefficients of variation of negative controls, and Z'-factors for positive control chemicals. Concentration response assessment of muscle-related toxicants showed specificity of the observed effects compared to the general cytotoxicity. Overall, this study establishes a high-throughput multiplexed assay using skeletal myoblasts that may be used for screening and prioritization of chemicals for more complex tissue chip-based and in vivo evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D Klaren
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University , College Station, Texas
| | - Ivan Rusyn
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University , College Station, Texas
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31
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Grimm FA, Blanchette A, House JS, Ferguson K, Hsieh NH, Dalaijamts C, Wright AA, Anson B, Wright FA, Chiu WA, Rusyn I. A human population-based organotypic in vitro model for cardiotoxicity screening. ALTEX-ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION 2018; 35:441-452. [PMID: 29999168 PMCID: PMC6231908 DOI: 10.14573/altex.1805301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Assessing inter-individual variability in responses to xenobiotics remains a substantial challenge, both in drug development with respect to pharmaceuticals and in public health with respect to environmental chemicals. Although approaches exist to characterize pharmacokinetic variability, there are no methods to routinely address pharmacodynamic variability. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of characterizing inter-individual variability in a human in vitro model. Specifically, we hypothesized that genetic variability across a population of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes translates into reproducible variability in both baseline phenotypes and drug responses. We measured baseline and drug-related effects in iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from 27 healthy donors on kinetic Ca2+ flux and high-content live cell imaging. Cells were treated in concentration-response with cardiotoxic drugs: isoproterenol (β-adrenergic receptor agonist/positive inotrope), propranolol (β-adrenergic receptor antagonist/negative inotrope), and cisapride (hERG channel inhibitor/QT prolongation). Cells from four of the 27 donors were further evaluated in terms of baseline and treatment-related gene expression. Reproducibility of phenotypic responses was evaluated across batches and time. iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes exhibited reproducible donor-specific differences in baseline function and drug-induced effects. We demonstrate the feasibility of using a panel of population-based organotypic cells from healthy donors as an animal replacement experimental model. This model can be used to rapidly screen drugs and chemicals for inter-individual variability in cardiotoxicity. This approach demonstrates the feasibility of quantifying inter-individual variability in xenobiotic responses and can be expanded to other cell types for which in vitro populations can be derived from iPSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian A Grimm
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Alexander Blanchette
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - John S House
- Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Kyle Ferguson
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Nan-Hung Hsieh
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Chimeddulam Dalaijamts
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Alec A Wright
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Blake Anson
- Cellular Dynamics International, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Fred A Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.,Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Weihsueh A Chiu
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Ivan Rusyn
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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32
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Gong S, Li Y, Su W, Ding Y, Lu J, Dong K, Hood S, Zhang W, Terstappen GC. Quantitative Algorithm-Based Paired Imaging Measurement for Antibody-Triggered Endocytosis in Cultured Cells. SLAS DISCOVERY 2018; 23:832-841. [PMID: 29505735 DOI: 10.1177/2472555218761355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Antibody-triggered endocytosis (ATE) is a biological mechanism on which many therapeutic strategies are grounded, such as delivery of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Current methods monitoring ATE include confocal Z-stack analysis, acid wash, antibody quenching, and pH-sensitive dye labeling. However, those generate less quantifiable results with low throughput. Here we report a new method referred to as "paired imaging measurement" to analyze ATE using a quantitative algorithm in conjunction with high-content imaging. With two sequential measurements of cell surface antibody employing live cell staining and total antibody by immunostaining before and after cell permeabilization, intracellular antibody undergoing endocytosis can be quantified indirectly. Antibodies against CD98 and transferrin receptor were tested on hCMEC/D3 and hiPSC-derived endothelial cells. The maximal response and potency of endocytosed antibodies were generated with good assay robustness (Z' > 0.6) and >5-fold signal/background ratio. Antibody endocytosis response ranking is consistent between batches ( R2 > 0.9). The obtained results were confirmed by other traditional methods. In conclusion, we have developed a novel method using a quantitative imaging algorithm in conjunction with live cell staining for high-throughput investigation of ATE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Gong
- 1 GlaxoSmithKline R&D Centre China, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan Li
- 1 GlaxoSmithKline R&D Centre China, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenji Su
- 1 GlaxoSmithKline R&D Centre China, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Ding
- 1 GlaxoSmithKline R&D Centre China, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiaqi Lu
- 1 GlaxoSmithKline R&D Centre China, Shanghai, China
| | - Kelly Dong
- 1 GlaxoSmithKline R&D Centre China, Shanghai, China
| | - Steve Hood
- 2 GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK
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33
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In vitro assessment of chemotherapy-induced neuronal toxicity. Toxicol In Vitro 2018; 50:109-123. [PMID: 29427706 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2018.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Neurotoxicity is a major concern during drug development, and together with liver and cardio-toxicity, it is one of the main causes of clinical drug attrition. Current pre-clinical models may not sufficiently identify and predict the risk for central or peripheral nervous system toxicity. One such example is clinically dose-limiting neuropathic effects after the administration of chemotherapeutic agents. Thus, the need to establish novel in vitro tools to evaluate the risk of neurotoxicities, such as neuropathy, remains unmet in drug discovery. Though in vitro studies have been conducted using primary and immortalized cell lines, some limitations include the utility for higher throughput methodologies, method reproducibility, and species extrapolation. As a novel alternative, human induced-pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons appear promising for testing new drug candidates. These iPSC-derived neurons are readily available and can be manipulated as required. Here, we describe a novel approach to assess neurotoxicity caused by different classes of chemotherapeutics using kinetic monitoring of neurite dynamic changes and apoptosis in human iPSC-neurons. These studies show promising changes in neurite dynamics in response to clinical inducers of neuropathy, as well as the ability to rank-order and gather mechanistic insight into class-specific compound induced neurotoxicity. This platform can be utilized in early drug development, as part of a weight of evidence approach, to screen drug candidates, and potentially reduce clinical attrition due to neurotoxicity.
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34
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Huettner N, Dargaville TR, Forget A. Discovering Cell-Adhesion Peptides in Tissue Engineering: Beyond RGD. Trends Biotechnol 2018; 36:372-383. [PMID: 29422411 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2018.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2017] [Revised: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
As an alternative to natural extracellular matrix (ECM) macromolecules, cell-adhesion peptides (CAPs) have had tremendous impact on the design of cell culture platforms, implants, and wound dressings. However, only a handful of CAPs have been utilized. The discrepancy in ECM composition strongly affects cell behavior, so it is paramount to reproduce such differences in synthetic systems. This Opinion article presents strategies inspired from high-throughput screening techniques implemented in drug discovery to exploit the potential of a growing CAP library. These strategies are expected to promote the use of a broader spectrum of CAPs, which in turn could lead to improved cell culture models, implants, and wound dressings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Huettner
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD 4059, Australia; Department of Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tim R Dargaville
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD 4059, Australia
| | - Aurelien Forget
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD 4059, Australia.
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35
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DeVito SC. The Need for, and the Role of the Toxicological Chemist in the Design of Safer Chemicals. Toxicol Sci 2018; 161:225-240. [PMID: 29029316 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfx197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
During the past several decades, there has been an ever increasing emphasis for designers of new commercial (nonpharmaceutical) chemicals to include considerations of the potential impacts a planned chemical may have on human health and the environment as part of the design of the chemical, and to design chemicals such that they possess the desired use efficacy while minimizing threats to human health and the environment. Achievement of this goal would be facilitated by the availability of individuals specifically and formally trained to design such chemicals. Medicinal chemists are specifically trained to design and develop safe and clinically efficacious pharmaceutical substances. No such formally trained science hybrid exists for the design of safer commercial (nonpharmaceutical) chemicals. This article describes the need for and role of the "toxicological chemist," an individual who is formally trained in synthetic organic chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, toxicology, environmental science, and in the relationships between structure and commercial use efficacy, structure and toxicity, structure and environmental fate and effects, and global hazard, and trained to integrate this knowledge to design safer commercially efficacious chemicals. Using examples, this article illustrates the role of the toxicological chemist in designing commercially efficacious, safer chemical candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen C DeVito
- Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (mail code 7410M), United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, District of Columbia
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36
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Zhang N, Milleret V, Thompson-Steckel G, Huang NP, Vörös J, Simona BR, Ehrbar M. Soft Hydrogels Featuring In-Depth Surface Density Gradients for the Simple Establishment of 3D Tissue Models for Screening Applications. SLAS DISCOVERY 2017; 22:635-644. [PMID: 28277889 DOI: 10.1177/2472555217693191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models are gaining increasing interest for use in drug development pipelines due to their closer resemblance to human tissues. Hydrogels are the first-choice class of materials to recreate in vitro the 3D extra-cellular matrix (ECM) environment, important in studying cell-ECM interactions and 3D cellular organization and leading to physiologically relevant in vitro tissue models. Here we propose a novel hydrogel platform consisting of a 96-well plate containing pre-cast synthetic PEG-based hydrogels for the simple establishment of 3D (co-)culture systems without the need for the standard encapsulation method. The in-depth density gradient at the surface of the hydrogel promotes the infiltration of cells deposited on top of it. The ability to decouple hydrogel production and cell seeding is intended to simplify the use of hydrogel-based platforms and thus increase their accessibility. Using this platform, we established 3D cultures relevant for studying stem cell differentiation, angiogenesis, and neural and cancer models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Zhang
- 1 Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,2 State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Vincent Milleret
- 3 Laboratory for Cell and Tissue Engineering, Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,4 Ectica Technologies AG, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Greta Thompson-Steckel
- 1 Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ning-Ping Huang
- 2 State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - János Vörös
- 1 Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Martin Ehrbar
- 3 Laboratory for Cell and Tissue Engineering, Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Guo L, Hamre J, Eldridge S, Behrsing HP, Cutuli FM, Mussio J, Davis M. Editor's Highlight: Multiparametric Image Analysis of Rat Dorsal Root Ganglion Cultures to Evaluate Peripheral Neuropathy-Inducing Chemotherapeutics. Toxicol Sci 2017; 156:275-288. [PMID: 28115644 PMCID: PMC5837782 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfw254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a major, dose-limiting adverse effect experienced by cancer patients. Advancements in mechanism-based risk mitigation and effective treatments for CIPN can be aided by suitable in vitro assays. To this end, we developed a multiparametric morphology-centered rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) assay. Morphologic alterations in subcellular structures of neurons and non-neurons were analyzed with an automated microscopy system. Stains for NeuN (a neuron-specific nuclear protein) and Tuj-1 (β-III tubulin) were used to identify neuronal cell nuclei and neuronal cell bodies/neurites, respectively. Vimentin staining (a component of Schwann cell intermediate filaments) was used to label non-neuronal supporting cells. Nuclei that stained with DAPI, but lacked NeuN represented non-neuronal cells. Images were analyzed following 24 h of continuous exposure to CIPN-inducing agents and 72 h after drug removal to provide a dynamic measure of recovery from initial drug effects. Treatment with bortezomib, cisplatin, eribulin, paclitaxel or vincristine induced a dose-dependent loss of neurite/process areas, mimicking the 'dying back' degeneration of axons, a histopathological hallmark of clinical CIPN in vivo. The IC50 for neurite loss was within 3-fold of the maximal clinical exposure (Cmax) for all five CIPN-inducing drugs, but was >4- or ≥ 28-fold of the Cmax for 2 non-CIPN-inducing agents. Compound-specific effects, eg, neurite fragmentation by cisplatin or bortezomib and enlarged neuronal cell bodies by paclitaxel, were also observed. Collectively, these results support the use of a quantitative, morphologic evaluation and a DRG cell culture model to inform risk and examine mechanisms of CIPN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Guo
- Laboratory of Investigative Toxicology, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - John Hamre
- Laboratory of Investigative Toxicology, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - Sandy Eldridge
- Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Holger P. Behrsing
- Laboratory of Investigative Toxicology, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - Facundo M. Cutuli
- Laboratory of Investigative Toxicology, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - Jodie Mussio
- Laboratory of Investigative Toxicology, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - Myrtle Davis
- Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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Stretch Injury of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Neurons in a 96 Well Format. Sci Rep 2016; 6:34097. [PMID: 27671211 PMCID: PMC5037451 DOI: 10.1038/srep34097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity with limited therapeutic options. Traumatic axonal injury (TAI) is an important component of TBI pathology. It is difficult to reproduce TAI in animal models of closed head injury, but in vitro stretch injury models reproduce clinical TAI pathology. Existing in vitro models employ primary rodent neurons or human cancer cell line cells in low throughput formats. This in vitro neuronal stretch injury model employs human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons (hiPSCNs) in a 96 well format. Silicone membranes were attached to 96 well plate tops to create stretchable, culture substrates. A custom-built device was designed and validated to apply repeatable, biofidelic strains and strain rates to these plates. A high content approach was used to measure injury in a hypothesis-free manner. These measurements are shown to provide a sensitive, dose-dependent, multi-modal description of the response to mechanical insult. hiPSCNs transition from healthy to injured phenotype at approximately 35% Lagrangian strain. Continued development of this model may create novel opportunities for drug discovery and exploration of the role of human genotype in TAI pathology.
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Dai S, Li R, Long Y, Titus S, Zhao J, Huang R, Xia M, Zheng W. One-Step Seeding of Neural Stem Cells with Vitronectin-Supplemented Medium for High-Throughput Screening Assays. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 21:1112-1124. [PMID: 27647668 DOI: 10.1177/1087057116670068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Human neuronal cells differentiated from induced pluripotent cells have emerged as a new model system for the study of disease pathophysiology and evaluation of drug efficacy. Differentiated neuronal cells are more similar in genetics and biological content to human brain cells than other animal disease models. However, culture of neuronal cells in assay plates requires a labor-intensive procedure of plate precoating, hampering its applications in high-throughput screening (HTS). We developed a simplified method with one-step seeding of neural stem cells in assay plates by supplementing the medium with a recombinant human vitronectin (VTN), thus avoiding plate precoating. Robust results were obtained from cell viability, calcium response, and neurite outgrowth assays using this new method. Our data demonstrate that this approach greatly simplifies high-throughput assays using neuronal cells differentiated from human stem cells for translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Dai
- 1 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.,2 Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Rong Li
- 1 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yan Long
- 1 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.,3 Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Steve Titus
- 1 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jinghua Zhao
- 1 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ruili Huang
- 1 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Menghang Xia
- 1 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Wei Zheng
- 1 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Barral S, Kurian MA. Utility of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for the Study and Treatment of Genetic Diseases: Focus on Childhood Neurological Disorders. Front Mol Neurosci 2016; 9:78. [PMID: 27656126 PMCID: PMC5012159 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2016.00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of neurological disorders often presents with significant challenges due to the inaccessibility of human neuronal cells for further investigation. Advances in cellular reprogramming techniques, have however provided a new source of human cells for laboratory-based research. Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can now be robustly differentiated into specific neural subtypes, including dopaminergic, inhibitory GABAergic, motorneurons and cortical neurons. These neurons can then be utilized for in vitro studies to elucidate molecular causes underpinning neurological disease. Although human iPSC-derived neuronal models are increasingly regarded as a useful tool in cell biology, there are a number of limitations, including the relatively early, fetal stage of differentiated cells and the mainly two dimensional, simple nature of the in vitro system. Furthermore, clonal variation is a well-described phenomenon in iPSC lines. In order to account for this, robust baseline data from multiple control lines is necessary to determine whether a particular gene defect leads to a specific cellular phenotype. Over the last few years patient-derived neural cells have proven very useful in addressing several mechanistic questions related to central nervous system diseases, including early-onset neurological disorders of childhood. Many studies report the clinical utility of human-derived neural cells for testing known drugs with repurposing potential, novel compounds and gene therapies, which then can be translated to clinical reality. iPSCs derived neural cells, therefore provide great promise and potential to gain insight into, and treat early-onset neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Barral
- Neurogenetics Group, Molecular Neurosciences, UCL Institute of Child Health,University College London London, UK
| | - Manju A Kurian
- Neurogenetics Group, Molecular Neurosciences, UCL Institute of Child Health,University College LondonLondon, UK; Department of Neurology, Great Ormond Street HospitalLondon, UK
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Grimm FA, Iwata Y, Sirenko O, Chappell GA, Wright FA, Reif DM, Braisted J, Gerhold DL, Yeakley JM, Shepard P, Seligmann B, Roy T, Boogaard PJ, Ketelslegers HB, Rohde AM, Rusyn I. A chemical-biological similarity-based grouping of complex substances as a prototype approach for evaluating chemical alternatives. GREEN CHEMISTRY : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL AND GREEN CHEMISTRY RESOURCE : GC 2016; 18:4407-4419. [PMID: 28035192 PMCID: PMC5179981 DOI: 10.1039/c6gc01147k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Comparative assessment of potential human health impacts is a critical step in evaluating both chemical alternatives and existing products on the market. Most alternatives assessments are conducted on a chemical-by-chemical basis and it is seldom acknowledged that humans are exposed to complex products, not individual substances. Indeed, substances of Unknown or Variable composition, Complex reaction products, and Biological materials (UVCBs) are ubiquitous in commerce yet they present a major challenge for registration and health assessments. Here, we present a comprehensive experimental and computational approach to categorize UVCBs according to global similarities in their bioactivity using a suite of in vitro models. We used petroleum substances, an important group of UVCBs which are grouped for regulatory approval and read-across primarily on physico-chemical properties and the manufacturing process, and only partially based on toxicity data, as a case study. We exposed induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and hepatocytes to DMSO-soluble extracts of 21 petroleum substances from five product groups. Concentration-response data from high-content imaging in cardiomyocytes and hepatocytes, as well as targeted high-throughput transcriptomic analysis of the hepatocytes, revealed distinct groups of petroleum substances. Data integration showed that bioactivity profiling affords clustering of petroleum substances in a manner similar to the manufacturing process-based categories. Moreover, we observed a high degree of correlation between bioactivity profiles and physico-chemical properties, as well as improved groupings when chemical and biological data were combined. Altogether, we demonstrate how novel in vitro screening approaches can be effectively utilized in combination with physico-chemical characteristics to group complex substances and enable read-across. This approach allows for rapid and scientifically-informed evaluation of health impacts of both existing substances and their chemical alternatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian A Grimm
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences , Texas A&M University , College Station , TX , USA . ; ; Tel: +(979) 458-9866
| | - Yasuhiro Iwata
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences , Texas A&M University , College Station , TX , USA . ; ; Tel: +(979) 458-9866
| | | | - Grace A Chappell
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences , Texas A&M University , College Station , TX , USA . ; ; Tel: +(979) 458-9866
| | - Fred A Wright
- Bioinformatics Research Center , North Carolina State University , Raleigh , NC , USA
| | - David M Reif
- Bioinformatics Research Center , North Carolina State University , Raleigh , NC , USA
| | - John Braisted
- National Institutes of Health , National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - David L Gerhold
- National Institutes of Health , National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | | | | | | | - Tim Roy
- Department of Natural Science , University of South Carolina , Beaufort , SC , USA
| | | | - Hans B Ketelslegers
- European Petroleum Refiners Association , Concawe Division , Brussels , BE , USA
| | | | - Ivan Rusyn
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences , Texas A&M University , College Station , TX , USA . ; ; Tel: +(979) 458-9866
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Burbulla LF, Beaumont KG, Mrksich M, Krainc D. Micropatterning Facilitates the Long-Term Growth and Analysis of iPSC-Derived Individual Human Neurons and Neuronal Networks. Adv Healthc Mater 2016; 5:1894-903. [PMID: 27108930 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201500900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Revised: 02/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their application to patient-specific disease models offers new opportunities for studying the pathophysiology of neurological disorders. However, current methods for culturing iPSC-derived neuronal cells result in clustering of neurons, which precludes the analysis of individual neurons and defined neuronal networks. To address this challenge, cultures of human neurons on micropatterned surfaces are developed that promote neuronal survival over extended periods of time. This approach facilitates studies of neuronal development, cellular trafficking, and related mechanisms that require assessment of individual neurons and specific network connections. Importantly, micropatterns support the long-term stability of cultured neurons, which enables time-dependent analysis of cellular processes in living neurons. The approach described in this paper allows mechanistic studies of human neurons, both in terms of normal neuronal development and function, as well as time-dependent pathological processes, and provides a platform for testing of new therapeutics in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena F. Burbulla
- Department of Neurology; Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago IL 60611 USA
| | - Kristin G. Beaumont
- Departments of Biomedical Engineering; Chemistry, and Cell and Molecular Biology; Northwestern University; Evanston IL 60208 USA
| | - Milan Mrksich
- Departments of Biomedical Engineering; Chemistry, and Cell and Molecular Biology; Northwestern University; Evanston IL 60208 USA
| | - Dimitri Krainc
- Department of Neurology; Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago IL 60611 USA
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Neurite outgrowth in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons as a high-throughput screen for developmental neurotoxicity or neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicology 2016; 53:271-281. [PMID: 26854185 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2016.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Due to the increasing prevalence of neurological disorders and the large number of untested compounds in the environment, there is a need to develop reliable and efficient screening tools to identify environmental chemicals that could potentially affect neurological development. Herein, we report on a library of 80 compounds screened for their ability to inhibit neurite outgrowth, a process by which compounds may elicit developmental neurotoxicity, in a high-throughput, high-content assay using human neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). The library contains a diverse set of compounds including those that have been known to be associated with developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) and/or neurotoxicity (NT), environmental compounds with unknown neurotoxic potential (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and flame retardants (FRs)), as well as compounds with no documented neurotoxic potential. Neurons were treated for 72h across a 6-point concentration range (∼0.3-100μM) in 384-well plates. Effects on neurite outgrowth were assessed by quantifying total outgrowth, branches, and processes. We also assessed the number ofviable cells per well. Concentration-response profiles were evaluated using a Hill model to derive benchmark concentration (BMC) values. Assay performance was evaluated using positive and negative controls and test replicates. Compounds were ranked by activity and selectivity (i.e., specific effects on neurite outgrowth in the absence of concomitant cytotoxicity) and repeat studies were conducted to confirm selectivity. Among the 80 compounds tested, 38 compounds were active, of which 16 selectively inhibited neurite outgrowth. Of these 16 compounds, 12 were known to cause DNT/NT and the remaining 4 compounds included 3 PAHs and 1 FR. In independent repeat studies, 14/16 selective compounds were reproducibly active in the assay, of which only 6 were selective for inhibition of neurite outgrowth. These 6 compounds were previously shown in the literature to be neurotoxic. These studies shed light on the current status of human iPSCs in DNT/NT screening and their utility in identifying, ranking, and prioritizing compounds with DNT/NT potential for further in vivo testing.
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44
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Advancing drug discovery for neuropsychiatric disorders using patient-specific stem cell models. Mol Cell Neurosci 2016; 73:104-15. [PMID: 26826498 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2016.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Compelling clinical, social, and economic reasons exist to innovate in the process of drug discovery for neuropsychiatric disorders. The use of patient-specific, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) now affords the ability to generate neuronal cell-based models that recapitulate key aspects of human disease. In the context of neuropsychiatric disorders, where access to physiologically active and relevant cell types of the central nervous system for research is extremely limiting, iPSC-derived in vitro culture of human neurons and glial cells is transformative. Potential applications relevant to early stage drug discovery, include support of quantitative biochemistry, functional genomics, proteomics, and perhaps most notably, high-throughput and high-content chemical screening. While many phenotypes in human iPSC-derived culture systems may prove adaptable to screening formats, addressing the question of which in vitro phenotypes are ultimately relevant to disease pathophysiology and therefore more likely to yield effective pharmacological agents that are disease-modifying treatments requires careful consideration. Here, we review recent examples of studies of neuropsychiatric disorders using human stem cell models where cellular phenotypes linked to disease and functional assays have been reported. We also highlight technical advances using genome-editing technologies in iPSCs to support drug discovery efforts, including the interpretation of the functional significance of rare genetic variants of unknown significance and for the purpose of creating cell type- and pathway-selective functional reporter assays. Additionally, we evaluate the potential of in vitro stem cell models to investigate early events of disease pathogenesis, in an effort to understand the underlying molecular mechanism, including the basis of selective cell-type vulnerability, and the potential to create new cell-based diagnostics to aid in the classification of patients and subsequent selection for clinical trials. A number of key challenges remain, including the scaling of iPSC models to larger cohorts and integration with rich clinicopathological information and translation of phenotypes. Still, the overall use of iPSC-based human cell models with functional cellular and biochemical assays holds promise for supporting the discovery of next-generation neuropharmacological agents for the treatment and ultimately prevention of a range of severe mental illnesses.
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45
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Al-Ali H, Beckerman SR, Bixby JL, Lemmon VP. In vitro models of axon regeneration. Exp Neurol 2016; 287:423-434. [PMID: 26826447 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2015] [Revised: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
A variety of in vitro models have been developed to understand the mechanisms underlying the regenerative failure of central nervous system (CNS) axons, and to guide pre-clinical development of regeneration-promoting therapeutics. These range from single-cell based assays that typically focus on molecular mechanisms to organotypic assays that aim to recapitulate in vivo behavior. By utilizing a combination of models, researchers can balance the speed, convenience, and mechanistic resolution of simpler models with the biological relevance of more complex models. This review will discuss a number of models that have been used to build our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of CNS axon regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Al-Ali
- Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Samuel R Beckerman
- Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - John L Bixby
- Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Center for Computational Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
| | - Vance P Lemmon
- Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Center for Computational Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
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Holmqvist S, Lehtonen Š, Chumarina M, Puttonen KA, Azevedo C, Lebedeva O, Ruponen M, Oksanen M, Djelloul M, Collin A, Goldwurm S, Meyer M, Lagarkova M, Kiselev S, Koistinaho J, Roybon L. Creation of a library of induced pluripotent stem cells from Parkinsonian patients. NPJ Parkinsons Dis 2016; 2:16009. [PMID: 28725696 PMCID: PMC5516589 DOI: 10.1038/npjparkd.2016.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are becoming an important source of pre-clinical models for research focusing on neurodegeneration. They offer the possibility for better understanding of common and divergent pathogenic mechanisms of brain diseases. Moreover, iPSCs provide a unique opportunity to develop personalized therapeutic strategies, as well as explore early pathogenic mechanisms, since they rely on the use of patients' own cells that are otherwise accessible only post-mortem, when neuronal death-related cellular pathways and processes are advanced and adaptive. Neurodegenerative diseases are in majority of unknown cause, but mutations in specific genes can lead to familial forms of these diseases. For example, mutations in the superoxide dismutase 1 gene lead to the motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), while mutations in the SNCA gene encoding for alpha-synuclein protein lead to familial Parkinson's disease (PD). The generations of libraries of familial human ALS iPSC lines have been described, and the iPSCs rapidly became useful models for studying cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous mechanisms of the disease. Here we report the generation of a comprehensive library of iPSC lines of familial PD and an associated synucleinopathy, multiple system atrophy (MSA). In addition, we provide examples of relevant neural cell types these iPSC can be differentiated into, and which could be used to further explore early disease mechanisms. These human cellular models will be a valuable resource for identifying common and divergent mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration in PD and MSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Staffan Holmqvist
- Stem Cell Laboratory for CNS Disease Modeling, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Department of Experimental Medical Science, BMC A10, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Strategic Research Area MultiPark, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Šárka Lehtonen
- Stem Cell Laboratory of Molecular Brain Research Group, Department of Neurobiology, A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Margarita Chumarina
- Stem Cell Laboratory for CNS Disease Modeling, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Department of Experimental Medical Science, BMC A10, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Strategic Research Area MultiPark, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Katja A Puttonen
- Stem Cell Laboratory of Molecular Brain Research Group, Department of Neurobiology, A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Carla Azevedo
- Stem Cell Laboratory for CNS Disease Modeling, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Department of Experimental Medical Science, BMC A10, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Strategic Research Area MultiPark, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Olga Lebedeva
- Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Marika Ruponen
- Stem Cell Laboratory of Molecular Brain Research Group, Department of Neurobiology, A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Minna Oksanen
- Stem Cell Laboratory of Molecular Brain Research Group, Department of Neurobiology, A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Mehdi Djelloul
- Stem Cell Laboratory for CNS Disease Modeling, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Department of Experimental Medical Science, BMC A10, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Strategic Research Area MultiPark, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anna Collin
- Department of Clinical Genetics and Biobanks, Office for Medical Services, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Lund, Sweden
| | - Stefano Goldwurm
- Parkinson Institute, Istituti Clinici di Perfezionamento, Milan, Italy
| | - Morten Meyer
- Department of Neurobiology Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Maria Lagarkova
- Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergei Kiselev
- Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Jari Koistinaho
- Stem Cell Laboratory of Molecular Brain Research Group, Department of Neurobiology, A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- ()
| | - Laurent Roybon
- Stem Cell Laboratory for CNS Disease Modeling, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Department of Experimental Medical Science, BMC A10, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Strategic Research Area MultiPark, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- ()
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47
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Detrez JR, Verstraelen P, Gebuis T, Verschuuren M, Kuijlaars J, Langlois X, Nuydens R, Timmermans JP, De Vos WH. Image Informatics Strategies for Deciphering Neuronal Network Connectivity. ADVANCES IN ANATOMY, EMBRYOLOGY, AND CELL BIOLOGY 2016; 219:123-48. [PMID: 27207365 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-28549-8_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Brain function relies on an intricate network of highly dynamic neuronal connections that rewires dramatically under the impulse of various external cues and pathological conditions. Amongst the neuronal structures that show morphological plasticity are neurites, synapses, dendritic spines and even nuclei. This structural remodelling is directly connected with functional changes such as intercellular communication and the associated calcium bursting behaviour. In vitro cultured neuronal networks are valuable models for studying these morpho-functional changes. Owing to the automation and standardization of both image acquisition and image analysis, it has become possible to extract statistically relevant readouts from such networks. Here, we focus on the current state-of-the-art in image informatics that enables quantitative microscopic interrogation of neuronal networks. We describe the major correlates of neuronal connectivity and present workflows for analysing them. Finally, we provide an outlook on the challenges that remain to be addressed, and discuss how imaging algorithms can be extended beyond in vitro imaging studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan R Detrez
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Peter Verstraelen
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Titia Gebuis
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marlies Verschuuren
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jacobine Kuijlaars
- Neuroscience Department, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium
- Laboratory for Cell Physiology, Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED), Hasselt University, Agoralaan, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Xavier Langlois
- Neuroscience Department, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Rony Nuydens
- Neuroscience Department, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Jean-Pierre Timmermans
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Winnok H De Vos
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium.
- Cell Systems and Cellular Imaging, Department Molecular Biotechnology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
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Cardiotoxicity screening: a review of rapid-throughput in vitro approaches. Arch Toxicol 2015; 90:1803-16. [PMID: 26676948 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-015-1651-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Cardiac toxicity represents one of the leading causes of drug failure along different stages of drug development. Multiple very successful pharmaceuticals had to be pulled from the market or labeled with strict usage warnings due to adverse cardiac effects. In order to protect clinical trial participants and patients, the International Conference on Harmonization published guidelines to recommend that all new drugs to be tested preclinically for hERG (Kv11.1) channel sensitivity before submitting for regulatory reviews. However, extensive studies have demonstrated that measurement of hERG activity has limitations due to the multiple molecular targets of drug compound through which it may mitigate or abolish a potential arrhythmia, and therefore, a model measuring multiple ion channel effects is likely to be more predictive. Several phenotypic rapid-throughput methods have been developed to predict the potential cardiac toxic compounds in the early stages of drug development using embryonic stem cells- or human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. These rapid-throughput methods include microelectrode array-based field potential assay, impedance-based or Ca(2+) dynamics-based cardiomyocytes contractility assays. This review aims to discuss advantages and limitations of these phenotypic assays for cardiac toxicity assessment.
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Abstract
Attrition due to nonclinical safety represents a major issue for the productivity of pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) organizations, especially during the compound optimization stages of drug discovery and the early stages of clinical development. Focusing on decreasing nonclinical safety-related attrition is not a new concept, and various approaches have been experimented with over the last two decades. Front-loading testing funnels in Discovery with in vitro toxicity assays designed to rapidly identify unfavorable molecules was the approach adopted by most pharmaceutical R&D organizations a few years ago. However, this approach has also a non-negligible opportunity cost. Hence, significant refinements to the "fail early, fail often" paradigm have been proposed recently to reflect the complexity of accurately categorizing compounds with early data points without taking into account other important contextual aspects, in particular efficacious systemic and tissue exposures. This review provides an overview of toxicology approaches and models that can be used in pharmaceutical Discovery at the series/lead identification and lead optimization stages to guide and inform chemistry efforts, as well as a personal view on how to best use them to meet nonclinical safety-related attrition objectives consistent with a sustainable pharmaceutical R&D model. The scope of this review is limited to small molecules, as large molecules are associated with challenges that are quite different. Finally, a perspective on how several emerging technologies may impact toxicity evaluation is also provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric A G Blomme
- Global Preclinical Safety, AbbVie Inc. , 1 North Waukegan Road, North Chicago, Illinois 60064, United States
| | - Yvonne Will
- Drug Safety Research and Development, Pfizer , Eastern Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
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