Past Webinar: Decoding the Mechanisms Underlying Susceptibility to Neurodegeneration with iPSC-Derived Human Brain Tissue

Decoding the Mechanisms Underlying Susceptibility to Neurodegeneration with iPSC-Derived Human Brain Tissue

10 AM EDT, July 14, 2026

The human brain is genetically predisposed in many individuals to neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Yet identifying the genetic drivers of vulnerability, defining their underlying cellular mechanisms, and translating these insights into effective therapies remain major challenges. These unmet needs are starkly reflected in the rapidly growing burden of neurodegenerative disease and the continued lack of disease-modifying therapies for AD and related dementias. Addressing this challenge requires new approaches that capture uniquely human brain biology and enable mechanistic discovery alongside therapeutic development.

To meet this need, Blanchard Lab engineers multicellular, stem cell–derived 3D human brain tissues that model key aspects of neurodegeneration in a physiologically relevant human context. They use these platforms to dissect disease mechanisms, identify therapeutic vulnerabilities, and accelerate translational discovery.

Creative Biolabs is honored to invite Dr. Joel W. Blanchard to present a webinar titled "Decoding the Mechanisms Underlying Susceptibility to Neurodegeneration with iPSC-Derived Human Brain Tissue".

In this talk, Dr. Joel W. Blanchard will highlight three examples of this approach:

• How a rare genetic mutation drives severe juvenile PD, revealing a lysosome–polyamine–epigenetic axis of neurodegeneration.
• How APOE4 promotes α-synuclein co-pathology through glial dysfunction.
• How APOE4 drives cerebrovascular remodeling and blood–brain barrier dysfunction in AD.

Together, these studies illustrate how engineered human brain models can uncover disease mechanisms inaccessible in traditional systems and open new paths toward therapeutics.

Webinar Recording

Speaker

Joel W. Blanchard, PhD

Associate Professor
Nash Family Department of Neuroscience
Department of Cell, Developmental & Regenerative Biology
Black Family Stem Cell Institute
Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Joel W. Blanchard, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and the Department of Cell, Developmental & Regenerative Biology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he leads a research group focused on genetic and environmental vulnerability to neurodegeneration. His work centers on developing stem cell-derived 3D human brain models to better understand and treat Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.

The Blanchard lab seeks to uncover the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive cognitive decline, with a focus on blood-brain barrier dysfunction, myelination, neuro-immune-vascular interactions, and genetic risk factors such as APOE4. By combining stem cell engineering, organoid technology, and functional genomics, his team develops multicellular human brain tissue models to study disease progression, therapeutic response, and the effects of aging, injury, and environmental stressors on the brain.