"Neuroscience using iPS cell technologies and Transgenic non-human primates" Hideyuki Okano

Cell Signal Unit (Yamamoto Unit) would like to invite you to a seminar by Prof. Hideyuki Okano.

We look forward to seeing many of you there.

Speaker: Prof. Hideyuki Okano

Professor

Dean, Keio University Graduate School of Medicine
Professor & Chair, Department of Physiology
Keio University, School of Medicine

Title: Neuroscience using iPS cell technologies and Transgenic non-human primates

Abstract:

While there is an increasing interest in iPS cells technologies for modeling human development and diseases, it is obvious we need excellent in vivo models for investigating brain functions and neurological/psychiatric disorders. Our human brain functions are composed of 1) evolutionarily conserved brains functions and 2) brain functions unique to primates including human, which are associated with expansion of cerebral cortex. We believe that common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), a small New World primate, could be an appropriate non-human primate model animal to unveil the latter functions. Common marmoset shares with humans, not merely biological features but also higher brain functions including perception, cognition, as well as social abilities. Furthermore, because of its size, availability, and unique biological characteristics, common marmoset has attracted considerable attention as a potentially useful biomedical research animal in fields such as neuroscience, stem cell research, drug toxicology, immunity and autoimmune diseases, and reproductive biology. Marmosets have a relatively short gestation period (about 144 days), reach sexual maturity at 12–18 months, and females have 40–80 offspring during their life. Therefore, the application of transgenic techniques to marmosets may be feasible, and would greatly facilitate the study of higher brain functions and human diseases.

    Recently, we could develop transgenic common marmosets with germline transmission (Sasaki et al., Nature, 2009). We believe that developing transgenic reporter animals and transgenic cognitive disorder models in common marmoset will be immediately informative, and perhaps allow us to address discrete questions regarding neurobiological bases of human-intellectual function including the mechanism of expansion of cerebral cortex. In the present talk, we also wish to mention our recent data of generation of common marmoset models of neurodegenrerative diseases, including Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease and ALS, using transgenic techniques. I will also mention about our recent trials on the development of knock-in and knock-out technologies of common marmoset using ES/iPS cells and genome editing.

Host: 

Tadashi Yamamoto, Cell Signal Unit

Sincerely,

Kaori Yamashiro

Cell Signal Unit (Yamamoto Unit)