Research in Lay Terms
Stem cells can be used to model and examine the underlying causes of human disease.  Our research suggests that stem cell-derived human microglia transplantation may also provide a promising approach to treat neurodegeneration.  Our lab studies both sides of this equation, using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to examine the normal and pathological functions of genes and proteins implicated in neurodegeneration and investigating the potential of stem cell-derived human microglia to deliver therapeutic proteins to the brain that improve cognition and modify disease pathology.

Research Focus
The Blurton-Jones Lab uses iPSC-derived microglia cells to try to understanding and target the underlying molecular mechanisms that drive the development of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Research Details
Our Lab previously showed that neural stem cell transplantation can improve learning and memory in a transgenic mouse model of advanced Alzheimer’s disease.   Our studies revealed that the stem cells helped promote recovery by elevating levels of a key protein, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). In collaboration with several stem cell and AD researchers, we are now testing whether this approach can one day be translated to the clinic. In related studies, we are examining whether neural stem cell transplantation may also be used to treat cognitive dysfunction that occurs in other neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

At the basic science level, our lab also uses iPSC-derived microglia to try to model neurodegenerative disease and understand the normal and pathological functions of disease-associated genes.  By understanding the normal function of disease-associated genes we can better understand exactly what goes wrong in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Our Lab is associated with the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND), the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, the Institute for Immunology, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, the Center for Neurobiology Learning and Memory, the ADRC Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Core, and the CRISPR Gene-Editing Core at the University of California, Irvine.