Decoding the Mechanisms Underlying Susceptibility to Neurodegeneration with iPSC-Derived Human Brain Tissue

The human brain is genetically predisposed in many individuals to neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Yet identifying the genetic drivers of vulnerability, defining their underlying cellular mechanisms, and translating these insights into effective therapies remain major challenges. These unmet needs are starkly reflected in the rapidly growing burden of neurodegenerative disease and the continued lack of disease-modifying therapies for AD and related dementias. Addressing this challenge requires new approaches that capture uniquely human brain biology and enable mechanistic discovery alongside therapeutic development.

To meet this need, Blanchard Lab engineers multicellular, stem cell–derived 3D human brain tissues that model key aspects of neurodegeneration in a physiologically relevant human context. They use these platforms to dissect disease mechanisms, identify therapeutic vulnerabilities, and accelerate translational discovery.

Creative Biolabs is honored to invite Dr. Joel W. Blanchard to present a webinar titled "Decoding the Mechanisms Underlying Susceptibility to Neurodegeneration with iPSC-Derived Human Brain Tissue".

In this talk, Dr. Joel W. Blanchard will highlight three examples of this approach:

How a rare genetic mutation drives severe juvenile PD, revealing a lysosome–polyamine–epigenetic axis of neurodegeneration.
How APOE4 promotes α-synuclein co-pathology through glial dysfunction.
How APOE4 drives cerebrovascular remodeling and blood–brain barrier dysfunction in AD.
Together, these studies illustrate how engineered human brain models can uncover disease mechanisms inaccessible in traditional systems and open new paths toward therapeutics.

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