Calcium-Enhanced Medium-Based Delivery of Splice Modulating Antisense Oligonucleotides in 2D and 3D hiPSC-Derived Neuronal Models

Abstract

Antisense technology demonstrates significant potential for addressing inherited brain diseases, with over a dozen products already available and numerous others in the development pipeline. The versatility of differentiating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into nearly all neural cell types proves invaluable for comprehending the mechanisms behind neurological diseases, replicating cellular phenotypes, and advancing the testing and development of new therapies, including antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics. While delivering antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to human iPSC-based neuronal models has posed challenges, this study explores various delivery methods, including lipid-based transfection, gymnotic uptake, Ca(2+)-enhanced medium (CEM)-based delivery, and electroporation, in 2D and 3D hiPSC-derived neuronal models. This study reveals that CEM-based delivery exhibits efficiency and low toxicity in both 2D neuronal cultures and 3D brain organoids. Furthermore, the findings indicate that CEM is slightly more effective in neurons than in astrocytes, suggesting promising avenues for further exploration and optimization of preclinical ASO strategies in the treatment of neurological disorders.

Keywords

• ASO delivery
• organoids
• CEM