Nerve cells, also known as neurons are the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, responsible for receiving and transmitting information throughout the body. Rich with multiple neuronal cell types and varied glial cells, neural tissue has historically been difficult to model in vitro [1]. Such modelling challenges greatly slow our progress in understanding and treating neurodegenerative disease. Fortunately, this is changing with recent advances in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology.
bit.bio’s deterministic cell programming technology (known as opti-ox™) enables the rapid conversion of entire cultures of stem cells into a precise cell identity with unprecedented consistency. The rapid gain of functionality of bit.bio’s human nerve cells empower researchers to build the types of physiologically relevant in vitro models needed to drive research into neurodegenerative disease and neuropsychiatric disorders, and the data-backed lot-to-lot consistency enables standardisation across assays used in early stages of drug discovery, from target identification to clinical translation.
Additionally, the development of CRISPR-Ready neurons makes it possible to perform functional genomic screening in human iPSC-derived neurons, opening the door to more efficient and physiologically relevant target identification and validation studies. Unlike primary neurons that often lack suitable controls, our range of ioCells includes disease models with engineered disease-specific mutations and genetically matched controls. Having access to defined, human iPSC-derived neurons that emulate neurodegenerative disease will help accelerate progress in understanding and ultimately treating these devastating diseases.
Elevate your research with bit.bio’s human iPSC-derived neurons, from CRISPR-Ready glutamatergic neurons to ALS-specific motor neurons.
Dive into this application note, to discover how ioGlutamatergic Neurons and iPSC-derived astrocytes have been used in 3D microtissues, to build a powerful model system for medium- to high-throughput drug screening and more productive preclinical drug development.
Ben Bar-Sadeh, PhD | Senior Scientist | Anima Biotech
Tom Brown | Senior Product Manager | bit.bio
V1
A Obergrussberger et al, 2024.
Nanion
Dr Brian Gill, MD | Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery| Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Dr Tony Oosterveen | Principal Scientist and CNS Lead, Neurobiology | bit.bio
Luke Foulser | Scientist | bit.bio
bit.bio
DOC-1289 3.0
bit.bio
2025
Tom Brown | Senior Product Manager | bit.bio
Marcos Herrera Vaquero, PhD | Senior Scientist | bit.bio1. Pereira I, Lopez-Martinez MJ, Samitier J. (2023) Advances in current in vitro models on neurodegenerative diseases. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1260397.