Discussion

Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is caused by the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. High content screening (HCS) should allow finding new pathways involved in the onset of PD by screening molecules based on phenotypes related to cell death. Rotenone, a chemical compound commonly used as a pesticide, is well-documented as a cell death inducer of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and allows mimicking PD in vitro and in vivo.
HCS Pharma is working to develop new, more complex and relevant in vitro cellular models that mimic the pathology as closely as possible. In this poster, a neuroprotection model of PD is presented, with differenciated SH-SY5Y neuronal cells, exposed to rotenone. Model was developed in 2D culture and first results in 3D culture are also presented.