Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) shows many pathological similarities to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and is therefore often used as model to mimic MS by injecting Myelin-Oligodendrocyte-Glycoprotein (MOG) in combination with pertussis toxin (PTX). C57Bl/6 mice develop clinical signs about two weeks after MOG + PTX treatment. Fingolimod (Fingo) was able to reduce clinical signs reaching significance …
In vitro assessment of ALS-related TDP-43 aggregation and stress granule formation
The RNA-binding protein TDP-43 is strongly linked to neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and FTLD. Several studies have shown that cytoplasmic TDP-43 aggregates co-localize with stress granule markers. Stress granules (SGs) are cytoplasmic inclusions that repress translation of a subset of RNAs during cellular stress. Since it was shown that SG formation contributes to accumulation of …
In vitro assessment of axonal injury and growth using DRG neurons
Pathological changes in axonal function are well known features of many neurological disorders. Nowadays, stimulation of axonal repair after injury is an important aspect for the development of new therapeutic drugs. The use of microfluidic chambers (MFCs) can provide unique insights into the axonal compartment independent of the soma. We thus established a model of …
Strong neuroinflammation in the induced EAE mouse model of Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a human specific disease and represents one of the most common neurological disorders among young adults. Although there is a broad range of neurological symptoms and different disease progressions, key hallmarks are demyelination, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration resulting in persistent invalidity. To model and test new drugs against MS, the Experimental Autoimmune …
Robust neuroinflammation in the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis disease mouse model SOD1-G93A/low
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) as progressive motor neuron disease is characterized by quickly progressing muscle atrophy and correlating motor symptoms. Degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons of the spinal cord is the main cause for the observed motor decline and paralleled by strong neuroinflammation as observed by occurrence of astrocytosis and many activated …
