Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system, the brain, and understanding neurological development. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s disease have been traditionally difficult to research given the complexity of neural tissue and the availability of model systems. However, advances in stem cell biology have allowed the generation of human brain organoids from induced human pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) which model the unique features of the brain in a complex tissue-like environment. iPSCs can be differentiated into many neural cell types including cortical or dopaminergic neurons, astrocytes, chondrocytes, adipocytes, microglia, and neural organoids. This advancement in stem cell research and organoid models is progressing the field of regenerative medicine for central nervous system disorders.

Improving reproducibility in neural and cerebral organoid cultures is essential but a challenge for the industry. Using animal-free growth factors could improve reproducibility as they have higher lot-to-lot consistency and eliminates the risks of contaminating growth factors, viruses, prions, and other animal-derived ingredients. All growth factors and cytokines from Qkine pass stringent biochemical and bioactivity quality control testing, giving you complete confidence in your reagents for your neural stem cell cultures.