Achievement

Fellow Kristina Hernandez is working on a project to create an in vitro model of schizophrenia using iPSC technology. For the past 9 months, she has differentiated human iPSC-derived NSCs into functional neurons. The iPSC-derived NSCs were differentiated into neurons using Neurobasal media that was supplemented with Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which promotes the maturation of neurons. She found that Poly-D-lysine/Laminin coated coverslips were the best substrate for the differentiation process and performed immunocytochemistry at different time points during the differentiation process to verify neuronal cell type. The iPSC-derived neurons were positive for neuronal markers, such as Synaptophysin, MAP2, TUJ1, and VGLUT1. She found that the neuronal markers TUJ1 and MAP2 increase as the hiPSC-derinved neurons mature and that the neurons have displayed normal sodium and potassium channels when voltage-clamped and normal induced action potentials when current-clamped.