Modeling Brain Development Using Human Cells for the Study and Treatment of Zika Virus Infections

AbstractPurpose of ReviewCellular reprogramming now permits the generation of a renewable source of disease-relevant human cells for modeling biological systems and for high-throughput drug screening. Advances in modeling human brain development to study Zika infections and its association with microcephaly are discussed in this commentary.Recent FindingsHuman-induced pluripotent stem cells can be differentiated to cell types similar to those in the developing brain using both 2D and 3D cell culture systems. Zika virus targets proliferating neural progenitor cells in these systems and the resultant cell death provides evidence that Zika virus infections are causal for microcephaly. Drug repurposing screens using human cells vulnerable to infection has led to the identification of antiviral and neuroprotective therapeutic candidates.SummaryTogether with in vivo animal models, new stem cell-based technologies to model features of the developing and mature nervous system provide a platform for accelerated drug development to combat infectious diseases with neurological consequences.
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research