Year 1

The goal of this proposal was to establish a novel research tool to explore the molecular basis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) – a critical step toward the development of new therapy. To date, a small handful of specific genes and associated mutations have been causally linked to the development of PD. However, how these mutations provoke the degeneration of specific neurons in the brain remains poorly understood.

In the first year of the grant, we have successfully modified the LRRK2 G2019S mutation in patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) using zinc-finger technology. We created several clonal lines with the gene correction and also with a knockdown of the LRRK2 gene.

We characterized these lines for pluripotency, karyotype, and differentiation potential and currently, we are testing the lines for functional differences in the next reporting period and will generate iPSCs with specific LRRK2 mutations introduced using zinc-finger technology.