Developing innovative therapeutic solutions for brain diseases is a challenge, as access to brain cells for research is very difficult. As a result, many neurological diseases do not yet have satisfactory therapeutic solutions, as it is difficult or impossible to test the therapeutic solutions developed.
GliaPharm’s main activity is to discover and develop innovative therapeutic solutions targeting astrocytes, a specific type of brain cells, for the treatment of neurological diseases.Since astrocytes play a central role in the regulation of energy in the brain, GliaPharm's goal is to develop a treatment targeting astrocyte brain metabolism, and more specifically the brain metabolism of a rare disease called 'GLUT1 Deficiency Syndrome', or De Vivo disease.
A simple 2D cell culture model does not reflect the reality of brain metabolic interaction. As the brain contains several cell types, it is important to develop a more realistic culture model such as 3D culture.
The field of 3D cell culture, such as organoids, is developing but requires specific expertise and tools. The 3D brain model is complex with the presence of several cell types. Developing these cultures requires expertise that is not easily accessible to the entire scientific community. Hence, the importance of creating a partnership as described in this project.
The main objective of this project is to create a new 3D murine brain tissue from primary cells extracted from the brain of transgenic De Vivo mice. This model will be used by GliaPharm to test the activity of the astrocyte-targeting molecules they are developing. Subsequently, patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell brain cells will be used to replace the animal model. This objective also involves the 3R concept by replacing the animal model.
Project partner(s)
Project leader - team
Adrien Roux
(HEPIA),
Luc Stoppini
(HEPIA),
Laetitia Nikles
(HEPIA),
Marc Heuschkel
(HEPIA)