“Neurovascular models constructed from human pluripotent stem cells” 

Ethan Lippmann, Ph.D.*
Postdoctoral Research Associate
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Seminar will be made available via videoconference in the Health Sciences Research Building, room E 160 and Technology Enterprise Park, room 104.

Owing to their ability to self-renew indefinitely and differentiate into any cell type in the body, human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) represent a transformative platform for applications such as drug toxicity testing and regenerative medicine. Moreover, the advent of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technologies may revolutionize disease treatment strategies by providing unlimited material for studying disease mechanisms and screening potential therapeutics in vitro. However, for these applications to reach fruition, hPSC-derived progeny must possess phenotypes that accurately represent endogenous human tissues. With this consideration in mind, I will outline several strategies for modeling neurovascular systems with hPSCs. First, I will detail a novel approach for generating endothelial cells with properties of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a highly specialized vascular interface that maintains central nervous system (CNS) health and homeostasis but restricts the delivery of therapeutics to diseased tissue. I will also describe completely defined, xeno-free methods for differentiating hPSCs into neural cells from defined anatomical locations in the hindbrain and spinal cord, which will enable new avenues for examining neurodegenerative disease. I will conclude by briefly discussing how these hPSC platforms, in conjunction with microscale engineering techniques and synthetic biology approaches, could facilitate innovative studies of brain drug uptake and disease mechanisms outside of the human body.

Faculty Host: Johnna Temenoff, Ph.D.