Dopaminergic neurons growing in a culture dish (20x magnificatio

jsc2019e040133 (7/18/2019) --- A preflight view of Dopaminergic neurons growing in a culture dish (20x magnification) . A skin biopsy from a patient with Parkinson’s disease was reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells. The stem cells were then differentiated into dopaminergic neurons (green), the same cells that are lost in Parkinson’s disease patients. Work is underway to use these cells as a replacement for lost neurons as a treatment for the disease. The Effects of Microgravity on Microglia 3-Dimensional Models of Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis (Space Tango-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells) examines how microglial cells grow and move in three-dimensional (3D) cultures as well as any changes in gene expression that occur as a result of microgravity exposure. Microglia are a type of immune defense cell found in the central nervous system. Results may help provide novel approaches to characterizing, understanding, and developing therapies for Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. (Image courtesy of: Andres Bratt-Leal, PhD| Aspen Neuroscience)