Neurodegenerative diseases in a dish: the promise of iPSC technology in disease modeling and therapeutic discovery

Abstract

The study of stem-cell biology has been a flourishing research area because of its multi-differentiation potential. The emergence of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) open up the possibility of addressing obstructs, such as the limited cell source, inherent complexity of the human brain, and ethical constrains. Though still at its infancy phase, reprogramming of somatic cells has been demonstrating the ability to enhance in vitro study of neurodegenerative diseases and potential treatment. However, iPSCs would not thoroughly translate to the clinic before limitations are addressed. In this review, by summarizing the recent development of iPSC-based models, we will discuss the feasibility of iPSC technology on relevant diseases depth and illustrate how this new tool applies to drug screening and celluar therapy.