NYSCF Scientists Accelerate Multiple Sclerosis Research With New Protocol

NYSCF Principal Investigator Dr. Valentina Fossati and NYSCF – Druckenmiller Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Panagiotis Douvaras have improved a method for deriving oligodendrocyte progenitor cells – the types of brain cells implicated in multiple sclerosis and other disorders – from stem cells in just 55 days. 

This breakthrough describes a robust, reproducible protocol for generating oligodendrocyte progenitors that is significantly faster than previous techniques—enabling researchers to accelerate and complete experiments that would have otherwise been impossible.

Oligodendrocytes are cells that myelinate other cells in the brain. This means they coat the cells in a substance called myelin, which insulates them and helps them send signals. Diseases like multiple sclerosis occur when the immune system attacks myelin, disrupting cell function and leading to symptoms such as numbness, weakness, vision loss, tremor, fatigue, and cognitive impairment. Oligodendrocytes likely play a role in the disease’s pathology, so it is important to have access to them for examination and drug testing.

Read more about this breakthrough in Nature Protocols.