Modeling the C9ORF72 repeat expansion mutation using human induced pluripotent stem cells

Abstract

C9ORF72 repeat expansion is the most frequent causal genetic mutation giving rise to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and fronto-temporal dementia (FTD). The relatively recent discovery of the C9ORF72 repeat expansion in 2011 and the complexity of the mutation have meant that animal models that successfully recapitulate human C9ORF72 repeat expansion-mediated disease are only now emerging. Concurrent advances in the use of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to model aspects of neurological disease offers an additional approach for the study of C9ORF72 mutation. This review focuses on the opportunities of human C9ORF72 iPSC platforms to model pathological aspects of disease and how findings compare with other existing models of disease and post mortem data.