Webinar Description:
Spreading of neurodegenerative disease associated peptides (NDAPs; e.g. tau and alpha-synuclein) within the human brain is one of the earliest pathological processes occurring in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The study of these diseases necessitates the use of viable models that are representative of the disease in question. In order to create them, numerous tools are required that can induce the neuropathological processes in vitro and in vivo. For instance, transgenic animals over-expressing tau or alpha-synuclein endogenously, or animals expressing tau or alpha-synuclein mutants that aggregate more rapidly, are commonly used. An alternative approach is to introduce pre-formed fibrils of NDAPs into cells to induce pathology.
In this presentation, we will provide an overview of tools available for neurodegenerative research including different forms of NDAPs. We will demonstrate that certain fibrils and filaments can initiate protein aggregation, inducing disease pathology in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the presentation will cover important considerations for the handling of pre-formed fibrils to maintain activity such as the effects of sonication. Furthermore, we will show examples of in vitro modelling of neuropathologies in neuronal circuits using a proprietary high capacity microfluidics platform.
Thursday, April 9 @ 5 PM CEST / 11 AM EDT / 8 AM PDT
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