Neurite Outgrowth

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)

High-content imaging using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of human origin can be applied to examine neurotrophic, neuroprotective, or neurotoxic effects of pharmaceutical drug candidates or environmental contaminants.

iPSCs are very useful for neuronal toxicity studies as they exhibit the functionality and behavior of mature neurons, and are also available in large quantities. This biologically relevant cell type paired with high-content imaging and analysis makes neurotoxicity assays valuable for screening lead compounds and potentially reduces pre-clinical development costs and the need for animal experimentation.

• Assessment of neurotoxicity and neuronal development using induced pluripotent stem cell-based neurite outgrowth assay

Neurite outgrowth analysis

The Neurite Outgrowth Application Module for MetaXpress® software is designed for the analysis of neurite outgrowth assays. The module helps standardize results compared to traditional methods. Using a nuclear stain is beneficial to identify cell bodies in some cell types. With the flexibility of MetaXpress software, researchers are able to choose whether or not to use nuclear stains.

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Neuron 3D model

3D neuronal cultures are recognized as more closely recapitulating aspects of the human tissues including the architecture, cell organization, as well as cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions.

Establishment of physiologically-relevant in vitro models is crucial to further understanding of the mechanisms of neurological diseases as well as targeted drug development. While iPSC-derived neurons show great promise for compound screening and disease modeling, use of three-dimensional (3D) cultures is emerging as a valid approach for neuronal cell based assay development.

• Functional and mechanistic neurotoxicity profiling using 3D neural cultures
• Neuronal development in 3D matrix
• Morphological characterization of 3D neuronal networks in a microfluidic platform
• 3D neurospheroid for high-throughput screening

Neuron morphology

Neuron morphology (or neuromorphology) refers to the structure and shape of the cells that make up the nervous system. The shapes of nerve cells are highly complex, exemplified by the broad morphological diversity of neuronal processes – axons and dendrites – and their extraordinarily variable and intricate interconnectivity. From monitoring morphological changes during and after development as well as in the progression of disease states to studying the neurotoxic effects of drugs, chemicals and environmental toxicants, the ability to study this sophisticated level of morphological complexity is critical. Furthermore, the relationship between morphology and function is a key area of investigation in a wide variety of neuroscience research areas.

• Measuring neurite outgrowth
• Signaling dynamics on neural stem cell differentiation
• Accelerate mechanistic study in reception and transmission
• Investigations of the effects of A proteins

Neurotoxicity

The nervous system is sensitive to the toxic effects of many chemical compounds, environmental agents and certain naturally occurring substances. Neurotoxicity can cause temporary or permanent damage of the brain or peripheral nervous system during pathological processes such as spinal cord injury, stroke, or traumatic brain injury. It is also a major cause of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

• Utilizing hiPSC-derived neuron
• Identify compound-specific effects on neurite outgrowth
• Visualizing subcellular vesicles to quantitate autophagy
• Video: High-Content Screening of Neurotoxicity
• High-content screening of neuronal toxicity using iPSC-derived human neurons

Phenotypic screening

eBook: Phenotypic Screening With iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes and Neurons

Learn how to use both imaging and calcium oscillation analysis to develop profiles of compounds in iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes such as hERG blockers, ß-adrenergic agonists, and environmental toxins. iPSC-derived neuronal cultures were evaluated with neuromodulators as well as environmental toxins.

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Scientific poster: Neurotoxicity evaluation using iPSC

Multiplexed automated assays for neurotoxicity evaluation using induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural 3D cell models

Cell-based phenotypic assays have become an increasingly attractive alternative to traditional in vitro and in vivo testing in pharmaceutical drug development and toxicological safety assessment. The effectiveness of automated imaging assays combined with the organotypic nature of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells opens new opportunities to employ physiologically relevant in vitro model systems to improve screening for new drugs or potential chemical toxicities. In our studies, we used human iPSC-derived neural cultures to test functional and morphological end points for toxicity evaluation in a multi-parametric assay format.

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Toxicology

Toxicology is the study of adverse effects of natural or man-made chemicals on living organism. It is a growing concern in our world today as we are exposed to more and more chemicals, both in our environment and in the products we use.

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Webinar: Quantifying Biological Complexity of iPSC

On-demand Webinar: Simplified imaging for quantifying biological complexity of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and neurons

Watch our webinar to learn how our scientists simplify the workflow for multi-parametric biological responses by using the most current automated imaging acquisition and analysis tools.

Learn about:

• Functional and cytotoxicity assays using various cell models including iPSC-derived cardiac and neuronal cells
• New analytical tools for collecting and processing multi-parametric readouts
• Methods for adapting and scaling up processes for compound testing

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