Vala Sciences

Christine Gjerdrum Rines is presenting this afternoon! Come by her poster this afternoon to learn about the work Vala Sciences is doing to create assays to assess the neurotoxicity of HIV antiretroviral compounds! Come and chat at poster #A8

Kara Gordon is presenting a poster this afternoon! Come by and hear about the new multiplexed assay we are developing at Vala Sciences in neuron-astrocyte-microglia tri-culture to assess drug toxicity! Hear all about it at Poster #C81

Thank you to everyone who visited Christine Rines’ poster at #SfN24 on “Pain-in-a-dish assay” this morning. Use this link to get an copy of this poster: https://lnkd.in/gn2eVZnh Please reach out to us to learn more about our pain assay or high-content neurotoxicity screening services! #neuroscience #SfN2024 #nociceptors #highthroughput #iPSCs #drugdiscovery #drugdevelopment #toxicology

Christine Gjerdrum Rines is presenting this morning! Come join her bright and early to hear about Vala Sciences Neuro team's work on the Pain-in-a-Dish assay (PIDA). Come find her at Poster #C134!

Are you planning your schedule for #SfN2024 in two weeks? Add our posters to your meeting planner and come by and see what the Vala Sciences Neuro team has been up to! We are presenting 3 posters at the SfN annual meeting this year, highlighting our work with #iPSC neuro models. Come talk to us about: Pain – using RealDRGs from Anatomic Incorporated Inc HIV Antiretroviral toxicity on development – using Neural Progenitor Cells from Elixirgen Scientific Tri-culture Neurotoxicity model  - using neurons, astrocytes and microglia from BrainXell, Inc.

Vala Sciences will be attending the Safety Pharmacology Society 2024 Annual Meeting in San Diego! If you are going to be there, we would love to talk to you! Our Directors, Ranor C. B. Basa and Kara Gordon, will be presenting two posters! Stop by to learn more about the Cardiotoxicity and Neurotoxicity Assays that we have been developing! #iPSC #cardiotox #neurotox

🧠 Today’s the day! Join us at 12 PM EST for "Unlocking the Secrets of Alzheimer's, Epilepsy & More with Cutting-Edge iPSC Technology." It’s your last chance to register and be part of this insightful discussion on the latest in iPSC research and its impact on neurodegenerative diseases. 📅 Date: TODAY! ⏰ Time: 12 PM (EST) | 9 AM (PST) | 6 PM (CET) 🔗 Link: https://lnkd.in/e-NQNmS2 Don't miss out on the opportunity to enhance your understanding and network with industry leaders. Our experts are ready to share valuable insights and answer your questions live. #ElixirgenScientific #ValaSciences #CaseWestern #Webinar #iPSCs #Biotechnology #Neuroscience #Epilepsy #Alzheimers #DiseaseModeling

This Friday, May 3rd, our Director of Neurobiology Kara Gordon will be participating in a webinar with Elixirgen Scientific! Attend to learn more about our work using hiPSC-derived models to model epilepsy in a dish 🔬 🧠

At Vala Sciences, we use human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to develop preclinical models of the central nervous system (CNS). We then use our hiPSC-derived models in high-content screens to study drug-induced neurotoxicity and neurodegenerative diseases. Our CNS models contain hiPSC-neurons, hiPSC-microglia, and hiPSC-astrocytes, which are glial cells that support neuronal health and function. In the CNS, astrocytes produce nutrients like lactate that fuel neurons' energy-intensive electrical activity. Astrocytes further support neuron function by controlling neurotransmitter and ion levels at neuronal synapses, which keeps neurons firing at normal levels. Astrocytes also protect neurons by supporting the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, which controls access of molecules and cells in the blood to the CNS.  Astrocytes play key roles in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. Depending on their metabolic states, cell-cell interactions, and inflammatory activity, astrocytes can either protect neurons or contribute to their degeneration. Drugs that target these astrocyte phenotypes could be promising therapies for these devastating diseases. See this recent review for more information on the role of astrocytes in CNS health and disease: https://lnkd.in/gs8fxRmM This image shows hiPSC-neural progenitor cells from Elixirgen Scientific, which we have induced towards neuronal/glial differentiation for 3 weeks. The neuronal marker MAP2 is green, the astrocyte marker GFAP is red, and the nuclei are blue. In the center of the image, we can see a newly differentiated astrocyte "hugging" a young neuron, supporting its health and activity as it continues to mature. CyteSeer, Vala's high-content image analysis platform, uses the nucleus channel to automatically identify hundreds of cells in each image. CyteSeer then uses the expression of biomarkers like MAP2 and GFAP to discriminate between cell types and to measure cellular morphology and protein expression. Our single-cell readouts from complex culture systems enable detailed descriptions of cellular responses to drugs and environmental toxicants. Please contact us to learn more about how our hiPSC-based screening services can answer your toxicology and drug discovery questions! https://lnkd.in/g6Jstrf3 #Neuroscience #DrugDevelopment #HighContentScreening

Our Chief Research Officer, Patrick McDonough, is at #SOT2024. Stop by our poster today, Thursday, March 14 from 8:30-11:30 am! Learn more about how we differentiate and infect iPSC-derived microglia to study HIV replication and HIV-associated neurological symptoms Abstract 5209 / Poster Board P310