The potential of induced pluripotent stem cells for discriminating neurodevelopmental disorders
Stock R, Jeckel P, Kraushaar U, Wüst R, Fallgatter A, Volkmer H
STEM CELLS Transl Med. 2021;10:50-56. https://doi.org/10.1002/sctm.20-0206
Studying human disease-specific processes and mechanisms in vitro is limited by a
lack of valid human test systems. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) evolve as an
important and promising tool to better understand the molecular pathology of neurodevelopmental
disorders. Patient-derived iPSCs enable analysis of unique disease
mechanisms and may also serve for preclinical drug development. Here, we review
the current knowledge on iPSC models for schizophrenia and autism spectrum
disorders with emphasis on the discrimination between them. It appears that transcriptomic
analyses and functional read-outs are the most promising approaches to
uncover specific disease mechanisms in vitro.