Joint research between Tohoku University and Keio University School of Medicine used Jiksak Bioengineering, Inc (Jiksak)’s Nerve Organoid™ chips and identified PHOX2B as a new modulatory gene for the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Using Jiksak’s Nerve Organoid chips, the researchers generated organoids from ALS patient-derived iPS cells, then harvested the acellular axons. RNA sequencing of the axons identified PHOX2B as a gene possibly involved in the pathogenesis of ALS.
The research paper titled “Reduced PHOX2B stability causes axonal growth impairment in motor neurons with TARDBP mutation” has been published in Stem Cell Reports with the full article available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2021.04.021
The same group of researchers published data identifying the Fos-B gene to be a key regulator of the FUS mutant ALS. These 2 works taken together highlight the usefulness of Jiksak’s technology in uncovering the pathology of axonal disorders.
Jiksak Bioengineering, Inc. is a biotechnology company based in Kawasaki, Japan, which focuses on finding a cure for neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases, especially amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Founded in 2017, the company has developed both synapse induction technology and a unique iPS cell-derived neural tissue analysis organoid. Jiksak’s platform provides an efficient method to actively drive drug discovery and toxicity testing.
For more information, please visit www.jiksak.co.jp/
