Reprogrammed cells will heal the brain

Many people with schizophrenia, epilepsy or disorders on the autism spectrum, do not have functioning interneurons. These are special cells that regulate the nerve signals that pass through the brain. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Daniella Rylander Ottosson is developing methods to allow the interneurons’ function to be reset. 

Most interneurons in our brain inhibit nerve signals, so the brain does not become overstimulated. However, in many neurological conditions, the interneurons’ functioning appears to be faulty, which affects brain balance.  

Dr Daniella Rylander Ottosson, Lund University, is aiming to recreate the brain’s interneurons by reprogramming glia cells. These are a type of supporting cell in the brain, which surrounds nerve cells and provides them with nutrition and oxygen. 

Daniella Rylander Ottosson has injected modified viruses into mice brains, successfully introducing genes into their glia cells and transforming them into interneurons. She has also proven that it is possible to reprogram human glia cells and so produce interneurons in cell cultures. She will now hone this reprogramming method and investigate whether it is possible to shape new, fully functional human interneurons in a model of human brain tissue and in mice. The hope is that this method will provide a basis for future cell therapies, in which brain cells can heal themselves to restore the balance in nerve signals.  

Photo: Johan Persson