First primary adult sheep neural screen identifies therapeutic candidates for spinal cord injury

Though, the limited yield in neural cells prevented true high content screening. We recently adapted this brain tissue processing method to larger mammals. It led to the development of a high content screen using primary adult sheep neural cells and the first recorded case of primary adult sheep neurons being cultured, as demonstrated by immunocytochemistry, western blotting, and single-nucleus RNA sequencing.

We conducted a pilot screen of 2281 unique compounds from preselected libraries, identifying numerous compounds that have shown efficacy in the clinic for various neurological indications, validating our protocol. We identified for the first time several new molecules promoting processes/neurite growth in adult cells, including GSK180736A, PHA665752, and StemRegenin1. All three compounds were subsequently tested in a preclinical spinal cord injury model to identify neurologically beneficial hits.

Altogether, we provide here a novel drug screening tool that may help identify new leads for age-associated neurological disorders.