Cells from the human brain remain relatively intractable. Animal and cell models represent an important alternative yet do not always completely mirror human systems. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology and subsequent neural differentiation now enable the generation of human neurons and glia in the lab, producing material containing the same genetic makeup as the donor. We have generated a panel of iPSCs containing mutations that cause familial Alzheimer's disease (fAD). Following cortical neuronal differentiation, I will present work investigating the earliest, underlying disease processing in fAD.
