The researchers produced neural stem cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells. Neural stem cells are multipotent cells that proliferate and can develop into different nerve cell lines. The cells were embedded in a polymer hydrogel and cultured into millimeter-sized culture dishes.

Using this model, they investigated the ability of neuronal regeneration after exposure to Alzheimer's proteins (amyloid beta proteins) and the inflammation messenger IL-4. They first observed that plaques formed and that the characteristic Tau proteins deposited in the culture when the cells were brought together with the amyloid beta proteins. In addition, they found defects in the differentiated nerve cells. However, when they added the inflammatory messenger IL-4, the stem cells were stimulated to form new nerve cells. They concluded that IL-4 triggered repair processes in the cell culture.

The scientists assume that the decay of nerve cells in the brain during Alzheimer's can be possibly countered by  immune cells. They hope that their model is suitable for finding a neuronal therapy for Alzheimer's disease.

At the study, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Dresden, the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research Dresden e.V. (IPF), the Centre for Regenerative Therapies at the TU Dresden (CRTD), the Institute for pharmacology and toxicology of the TU Dresden as well as institutions from Australia and China were involved.

The researchers presented their model in the journal Developmental Cell:
Christos Papadimitriou, Hilal Celikkaya, Mehmet I. Cosacak, Violeta Mashkaryan, Laura Bray, Prabesh Bhattarai, Kerstin Brandt, Heike Hollak, Xin Chen, Shuijin He, Christopher L. Antos, Weilin Lin, Alvin Kuriakose Thomas, Andreas Dahl, Thomas Kurth, Jens Friedrichs, Yixin Zhang, Uwe Freudenberg, Carsten Werner & Caghan Kizil (2018). 3D Culture Method for Alzheimer’s Disease Modeling Reveals Interleukin-4 Rescues Ab42-Induced Loss of Human Neural Stem Cell Plasticity. Developmental Cell 46: 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2018.06.005.

Read more here:
https://www.dzne.de/aktuelles/presse-und-oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/pressemitteilungen/presse/detail/alzheimer-im-miniformat/