How do researchers at the University of California San Diego use induced pluripotent stem cells in autism research?
Answer
To create disease-in-a-dish models for studying how brain cells differ in autistic individuals
At academic institutions, scientists utilize induced pluripotent stem cells to develop laboratory models known as disease-in-a-dish. This process involves converting blood or skin cells from autistic individuals into stem cells, which are then programmed to become neurons. This methodology allows researchers to observe cellular differences between autistic and neurotypical individuals and identify potential drug targets without administering treatments to living patients.

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