Just last month, we shared some neuroblastoma research using our Primary Human Neurons (cat. HNC001). Well, it didn't take long for our neurons to remind us about their extensive abilities and get back in the spotlight.
Earlier this month, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine released preliminary findings demonstrating a link between COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s disease. Using human primary neurons provided by Neuromics, the investigators infected the cells with SARS-CoV-2 and saw the infection created an Alzheimer's-like neuropathology in the formerly healthy neurons.
Image: "Analysis of the effect of siRNA mediated individual or combined knockdown of the top 3 downregulated genes, GJA8, CryAA2 and PSG6, on the AD infectious etiology gene signature in primary human neurons. Cellular A aggregation (top row) and cellular p-Tau deposition (bottom row). AB Aggregate and p-Tau accumulation in the cytoplasm or neuronal axon are indicated by white arrowheads. Scale bar, 50 µm."
This effect on primary neurons translated to other donor neuron tissues as well, with the scientists continuing to find an Alzheimer’s-like neuropathology in healthy individuals and an aggravated Alzheimer’s neuropathology in Alzheimer’s patients. We encourage you to check out the full publication here.
These new findings remind us that there is still much unknown about the COVID-19 virus, especially how it infects the brain and passes through the blood-brain barrier. However, it is incredible to see our reagents helping answer some of those questions.
We encourage you to check out all publications using our primary neurons along with the many publications using the rest of our human cells.
Citation:
Wei-Bin Shen, James Logue, Penghua Yang, Lauren Baracco, Montasir Elahi, E. Albert Reece, Bingbing Wang, Ling Li, Thomas G. Blanchard, Zhe Han, Matthew B Frieman, Robert A. Rissman, and Peixin Yang. (2022). SARS-CoV-2 Invades Cognitive Centers of the Brain and Induces Alzheimer’s-Like Neuropathology. bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2022.01.31.478476