Sunday, March 10, 2019

Progress in understanding Friedreich’s ataxia using human induced pluripotent stem cells

Anna M. Schreiber, Julia O. Misiorek, Jill S. Napierala & Marek Napierala (2019), Expert Opinion on Orphan Drugs, 7:2, 81-90, DOI: 10.1080/21678707.2019.1562334

The versatility of iPSC-derived cellular models of FRDA is advantageous for developing new therapeutic strategies, and rigorous testing in such models will be critical for approval of the first treatment for FRDA. Creating a well-characterized and diverse set of iPSC lines, including appropriate isogenic controls, will facilitate achieving this goal. Also, improvement of differentiation protocols, especially towards proprioceptive sensory neurons and organoid generation, is necessary to utilize the full potential of iPSC technology in the drug discovery process.