Lifeboat Foundation

The hNSCs used in the study have been produced and characterised in the Cell Factory and Biobank of Santa Maria Hospital (Terni, Italy), authorised by the Italian Medicine Agency (AIFA) for the production of hNSCs to be used for clinical trials (aM 54/2018). The methodology applied to isolate, expand, characterise and cryopreserve the lines is based on the Neurosphere Assay^26,41,54, and has been used for the production of the cells utilised in phase I trials for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis patients (NCT01640067²³) and for Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis patients (NCT03282760, ongoing).

The entire production process, starting from tissue procurement to cryopreservation is compliant to cGMP guidelines and approved by AIFA. The hNSCs are obtained from foetal brain tissue derived from fetuses that underwent miscarriage or natural in utero death upon receiving the signed informed consent from the mother. Forty-eight hours prior to implantation, hNSCs were plated in the growth medium at a concentration of 10,000 cells/cm². On the day of surgery, hNSCs were collected by centrifugation, viable cells were counted by Trypan blue exclusion criteria, and the correct number of cells were re-suspended in HBSS for the transplant.

SOD1 transgenic male rats were randomly divided into three experimental groups: (i) transplanted with hNSCs (hNSC rats, n = 15); (ii) treated with HBSS (HBSS rats, n = 15) and (iii) untreated (CTRL rats, n = 22). An additional group of non-transgenic littermates (wild-type, WT, n = 9) were used as controls for symptomatic evaluation of the colony. Tacrolimus (FK506) and cyclosporine (cyclosporin A) are the principal immunosuppressive drugs that have been applied for solid organ transplantation^55,56 and have been translated to stem cell treatments for PD⁵⁷ and ALS²². In animal models, despite differences in potency, both drugs showed excellent survival rates for grafts across many comparative studies^58,59. Our previous results^44,45 showed that hNSCs can survive—without signs of rejection—in the rat brain up to 6 months under transient immunosuppression treatment, with cyclosporin A. On the bases of these results, we applied the same immunosuppressive treatment with administration of cyclosporine A (15 mg/kg/day subcutaneous; Sandimmne, Novartis) that was initiated on the day of transplantation and continued for 15 days after surgery (for all animal groups).

Alzheimer’s disease is a very common illness that affects older people worldwide, and it is one of the main causes of dementia. Researchers have been working for more than twenty years to find out what causes Alzheimer’s, but they have not yet discovered the exact reason, and there is no cure for the disease.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. The resulting polyglutamine (polyQ) tract alters the function of the HTT protein. Although HTT is expressed in different tissues, the medium spiny projection neurons (MSNs) in the striatum are particularly vulnerable in HD. Thus, we sought to define the proteome of human HD patient–derived MSNs. We differentiated HD72 induced pluripotent stem cells and isogenic controls into MSNs and carried out quantitative proteomic analysis. Using data-dependent acquisitions with FAIMS for label-free quantification on the Orbitrap Lumos mass spectrometer, we identified 6,323 proteins with at least two unique peptides. Of these, 901 proteins were altered significantly more in the HD72-MSNs than in isogenic controls. Functional enrichment analysis of upregulated proteins demonstrated extracellular matrix and DNA signaling (DNA replication pathway, double-strand break repair, G1/S transition) with the highest significance. Conversely, processes associated with the downregulated proteins included neurogenesis-axogenesis, the brain-derived neurotrophic factor-signaling pathway, Ephrin-A: EphA pathway, regulation of synaptic plasticity, triglyceride homeostasis cholesterol, plasmid lipoprotein particle immune response, interferon-γ signaling, immune system major histocompatibility complex, lipid metabolism and cellular response to stimulus. Moreover, proteins involved in the formation and maintenance of axons, dendrites, and synapses (e.g., Septin protein members) were dysregulated in HD72-MSNs. Importantly, lipid metabolism pathways were altered, and using quantitative image, we found analysis that lipid droplets accumulated in the HD72-MSN, suggesting a deficit in the turnover of lipids possibly through lipophagy. Our proteomics analysis of HD72-MSNs identified relevant pathways that are altered in MSNs and confirm current and new therapeutic targets for HD.

In my latest interview, I answer some questions on the fascinating topic of synthetic telepathy. Recently, the concept of synthetic telepathy has gained increasing attention from both the scientific community and the general public. The ability to communicate with others using only our thoughts may sound like something straight out of science fiction, but recent advancements in neuroscience and technology have brought us closer to making this a reality.

#SyntheticTelepathy #neurotechnology #braincomputerinterface #BCI #cybernetics #brainhacking #mindcontrol #nanocybernetics

In recent years, the concept of synthetic telepathy has gained increasing attention from both the scientific community and the general public. The ability to communicate with others using only our thoughts may sound like something straight out of science fiction, but recent advancements in neuroscience and technology have brought us closer to making this a reality. Join us for an exclusive interview with futurist and evolutionary cyberneticist Alex M. Vikoulov, as he shares his expertise on the fascinating topic of synthetic telepathy. Speaking with news reporter Blanca Elena Reyes, Vikoulov will delve into the workings of this cutting-edge technology and discuss its potential applications for the future.

Continue reading “Synthetic Telepathy: The Revolutionary Technology Redefining Communication” »

Do you really want to live forever? Futurist Ray Kurzweil has predicted that humans will achieve immortality in just seven years. Genetic engineering company touts ‘Jurassic Park’-like plan to ‘de-extinct’ dodo bird Elon Musk ‘comfortable’ putting Neuralink chip into one of his kids.

Read more ❯.

The actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with aphasia in April 2022—updated in February 2023 to frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Now, a major advancement is helping develop new treatments for some people with motor neuron diseases, including FTD and ALS, possibly including a nasal spray that could help prevent the genetic disease.

The connections between different regions of the brain responsible for language processing depend on which language you grew up with.

Nita Farahany, professor of law and philosophy at Duke University, has written a new book, The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology (Macmillan), which explores how our lives may be impacted by the use of brain-computer interfaces and neural monitoring devices.

Farahany argues that the development and use of neurotech presents a challenge to our current understanding of human rights. Devices designed to measure, record, and influence our mental processes—used by us or on us—may infringe on our rights to mental privacy, freedom of thought, and mental self-determination. She calls this collection of freedoms the right to cognitive liberty. IEEE Spectrum spoke with Farahany recently about the future and present of neurotech and how to weigh its promises—enhanced capabilities, for instance, including bionics and prosthetics and even a third arm —against its potential to interfere with people’s mental sovereignty.

Author, Nita FarahanyMerritt Chesson.

Follow our step-by-step video guide for growing cerebral organoids, or brain organoids, from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). We’ll walk you through embryoid body formation, induction, expansion, and organoid maturation.

0:35 — Embryoid Body Formation.
2:57 — Induction.
4:07 — Expansion.
6:42 — Organoid Maturation.

Continue reading “How to Grow Cerebral Organoids from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells” »