Human iPSC application in Alzheimer's disease and Tau-related neurodegenerative diseases

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles with progressive cognitive decline. After years of research with failed clinical trials surrounding Aβ and tau using numerous in vitro and in vivo AD transgenic animals, human model is necessary to advance our understanding of AD and drug discovery. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offers a novel approach for the establishment of a human model that reflects human genetics and physiology to investigate mechanisms of AD and other forms of dementia, which potentially could lead to a drug discovery, followed by treatment for the disease. In this review, I discuss the advantages in using iPSC technology with various forms of modeling, the progress that has been made to date in patient-derived AD iPSC model and challenges posed by using this technology. Finally, I suggest the future directions of disease modeling and the potential of iPSC technology in AD and other neurodegenerative research.