Ace Therapeutics is dedicated to revealing specific biological phenomena through cellular models. Our cellular models are used to study the relationship between schizophrenia-related phenotypic features and pathomorphology, electrophysiology and behavior. You can select cells from our models that support neural stem cell modification, differentiation and analysis to further your research.

Introduction of Neuroblastoma Model Development for Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a highly inherited complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by delusions and hallucinations, lack of motivation and mood, disorganized speech, attention deficits, learning and memory problems, and slower processing speed. These symptoms place a severe economic burden on the patient's society. Despite the high prevalence, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for this disorder remain largely unknown.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in schizophrenia have revealed many loci that do not directly identify the processes that are disrupted in the disease. Therefore, the development of cellular models containing SZ-associated variants has become a focal point in the post-GWAS research era. Cell-based studies of neuronal and network aberrations in psychiatric disorders may lead to the prediction of activity-dependent environmental influences that lead to disease progression.

Fig. 1 Morphological analysis of differentiated SH-SY5Y cells. (Pezzini F, et al., 2017)

Neuroblastoma Model Development Services

We provide SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell model for schizophrenia research and anti-schizophrenia drug development services based on this cell, which contains dopamine, GABA, acetylcholine and glutamate receptors on its surface. We induced SH-SY5Y cell differentiation by retinoic acid and neuroblastoma cell medium, including upregulation of axon guidance signaling pathways, axon growth and conversion to a neuron-like phenotype. In addition, the localization pattern of synaptic protein I changes during differentiation.

We also offer SH-SY5Y cell-based assays for survival (resistance to cell injury), DNA methylation analysis, membrane potential analysis, proliferation and mobility analysis, and ultrastructure of neural axons and synapses. We can also perform neural protrusion growth assays on SH-SY5Y cells to study the modulatory effects of antipsychotic drugs on neuronal morphology.

We can also use the CRISPR/Cas9 system to introduce a gene shift mutation of your interest into SH-SY5Y cells to observe the effect of the mutation on early neuronal differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells. We offer cell lines and their CRISPR-engineered derivatives that can serve as valuable preliminary screening platforms for antipsychotic drugs.

What Can We Help You Achieve in Psychiatry?

• Studying the molecular mechanisms of neural spine reduction
• Investigating signals in neuroplasticity pathways involved in SZ etiology
• Uncovering the relationship between mitochondrial function and SZ pathogenesis
• Detecting the effects of antipsychotics on the epigenetic age of cells
• Understanding the mechanism of action of antipsychotics from an epigenetic perspective

Why Choose Us?

• One-stop-shop platform for in vitro and ex vivo models for anti-psychotic drug development and subsequent drug screening, drug mechanism studies and therapeutic development services.
• We provide detailed experimental protocols to demonstrate how we achieve each milestone plan and document the tools we use.
• We provide information on all reagents and media used in our cellular services for your lab to purchase and use to perform additional projects after the services are completed.
• Flexible, customized service options to fit your specific project needs.

Ace Therapeutics is committed to providing suitable in vitro models to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms of SZ and to develop new drugs to treat it. Our cellular models of SZ can reproduce the alterations in brain development and function that underlie the genetic and biochemical aspects of the disease. In addition to serving as a source of basic knowledge about SZ, our cellular models can also serve as a platform for screening potential therapeutic options. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to make an inquiry.

Reference

1. Pezzini F, et al. Transcriptomic Profiling Discloses Molecular and Cellular Events Related to Neuronal Differentiation in SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2017, 37(4):665-682.