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Tau aggregation induces cell death in iPSC-derived neurons
Hirokazu Tanabe, Sumihiro Maeda, Etsuko Sano, Norio Sakai, Setsu Endoh-Yamagami, Hideyuki Okano. Aging brain, 2025-04-11
Topic: Disease mechanisms in lab and animal studies
Abnormal accumulation of tau proteins in the brain is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and is closely linked with neuronal cell death. Tau accumulation is a prominent therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease, since tau accumulation correlates well with the disease progression, and tau-targeting drugs hold potentials to halt the disease progression. Given the differential response of human and mouse neuronal cells, there is a critical need for a human cellular platform to quickly screen for tau-related neurodegenerative disease therapeutics. However, inducing rapid, tau-dependent neuronal cell death in human models remains challenging. In this study, we established a human cellular model capable of inducing tau aggregation-dependent neuronal cell death within two weeks via tau overexpression. Additionally, we demonstrated the neuroprotective efficacy of known tau-targeting compounds within this system. These findings suggest that our cellular model recapitulates the molecular pathogenesis of tau-induced neurodegeneration and could serve as a valuable platform for drug screening in tauopathies.
Key findings
- Additionally, we demonstrated the neuroprotective efficacy of known tau-targeting compounds within this system.
- These findings suggest that our cellular model recapitulates the molecular pathogenesis of tau-induced neurodegeneration and could serve as a valuable platform for drug screening in tauopathies.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Aging brain) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Laboratory or animal study (title names “ipsc”) — scores zero |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40276591) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 24 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100. |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
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APA 7th
Tanabe, H., Maeda, S., Sano, E., Sakai, N., Endoh-Yamagami, S., & Okano, H. (2025). Tau aggregation induces cell death in iPSC-derived neurons. Aging brain. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbas.2025.100136
Vancouver
Tanabe H, Maeda S, Sano E, Sakai N, Endoh-Yamagami S, Okano H. Tau aggregation induces cell death in iPSC-derived neurons. Aging brain. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.nbas.2025.100136. PMID: 40276591.
BibTeX
@article{tanabe2025-40276591,
author = {Tanabe, Hirokazu and Maeda, Sumihiro and Sano, Etsuko and Sakai, Norio and Endoh-Yamagami, Setsu and Okano, Hideyuki},
title = {{Tau aggregation induces cell death in iPSC-derived neurons}},
journal = {Aging brain},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.nbas.2025.100136},
pmid = {40276591},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbas.2025.100136}
}