Robert Halliwell,
Professor of Neuroscience,
University of The Pacific
Robert F. Halliwell completed postgraduate training in neurological science at University College London, in pharmacology at Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, University of Dundee and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Neuroscience at the University of California, Irvine. I previously held a lectureship in Neuroscience at the University of Durham, England and I am currently Professor in Neuroscience in the School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific. I contribute to Schools of Neuroscience in Africa for IBRO; I am a member of the Medical Ethics Committee at St Joseph’s Medical Center, Stockton, CA, and an Advisor on Mental Health for the Wellness Center of San Joaquin County. My laboratory is addressing the properties and value of neurons derived from a variety of human stem cells for studies in neuropharmacology and neurotoxicology; I have also published work in the history of medicine.
Neurons from Human Stem Cells in 2D and 3D Culture for the Discovery of New Antiseizure Agents
Wednesday, 20 November 2024 at 10:30
Add to Calendar ▼2024-11-20 10:30:002024-11-20 11:30:00Europe/LondonNeurons from Human Stem Cells in 2D and 3D Culture for the Discovery of New Antiseizure AgentsOrganoids, Spheroids and Organs-on-Chips 2024 in Laguna Hills, CaliforniaLaguna Hills, CaliforniaSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com
Somatic tissues derived from human stem cells offer significant advantages over animal models for drug studies and disease modeling. For over 20 years, my lab has been addressing the neuropharmacological and neurophysiological properties of human stem cell derived neurons in 2D and, more recently, in 3D culture. This presentation will cover the challenges and advantages in combining stem cell created neuroglial cells, maintained in ultra-long-term culture, with multi-electrode array technology, to advance the discovery of novel antiseizure agents for epilepsy. Specifically, I will present recent data demonstrating that human neuroglia cell networks are able to detect the antiseizure properties of diverse antiepileptic drugs with high sensitivity, specificity and reliability. I will also present one of our recent studies showing that fenamates, a well-established class of NSAID, that are also subunit-selective potentiators of the GABAA receptor (the major inhibitory receptor in the brain) have potent antiseizure properties. These observations provide new evidence for a novel therapeutic approach to the treatment of epilepsy, and we are exploring these well-established NSAIDs for drug repurposing. Overall, our data, and that emerging from other labs, demonstrate the power of stem cell derived neural circuits, supported by glia to identify new and novel agents for complex, difficult-to-treat, neuropsychiatric disorders.
Add to Calendar ▼2024-11-18 00:00:002024-11-20 00:00:00Europe/LondonOrganoids, Spheroids and Organs-on-Chips 2024Organoids, Spheroids and Organs-on-Chips 2024 in Laguna Hills, CaliforniaLaguna Hills, CaliforniaSELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com