For the present time used mainly as research tools, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are an exciting feature on the science news front. Containing many of the same benefits of embryonic stem cells, they are not obtained by destroying embryos and do not carry the ethical questions raised with the use of embryonic stem cells. The iPS cells are obtained through skin or other cells from any adult by careful reprogramming. This method works even on patients with nervous systems disorders. Though iPS cells may be used as treatments at some point in the future, for now they remain a researchers tool only.

Ricardo Dolmetsch of Stanford has been vocal about his group’s work to create iPS cells. Using patients patients suffering from a range of autism-related disorders, Dolmetsch’s group has been looking for abnormal gene expression, electrophysiology and fine-scale anatomy. Dolmetsch’s groups efforts revolve around creating iPS cells from patients with a variety of autism-related disorders and examine the resulting neurons for abnormalities in gene expression, fine-scale anatomy, and electrophysiology.

Unfortunately, there are many neurodevelopmental disorders that simply have no good animal model. At John Hopkins University, fifth-year graduate student Jason Chiang, has been working with iPS cells from two patients with trisomy 13, one of those disorders with no animal model suitable for study. Evidence has been presented that shows cell signaling pathways involving defects within Wnt proteins, and may be one aspect of the neurological disorder.

Numerous recent research papers from Allison Ebert of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, outlined the integration of iPS cells obtained from neurological patients. In her first paper, skin cells from an 82-year-old woman with amyotophic lateral sclerosis was used to create iPS cells, which were then manipulated into separating into motor neurons. Ebert and her colleagues have also been studying these cells in an attent to find out why some motor neurons die off in patients suffering from SMA. One theory is that the genetic sequence of genes in apoptosis, or programmed cell death, are uncontrolled in these types of cells.