Tau seeding models

Injection of brain extract from Alzheimer’s disease patients in the mouse brain recapitulates the structural features of tau pathology found in the diseased human brain.

Sylics offers services with tau seeding models. The choice of the patient brain source depends on the tauopathy of interest.

Feel free to contact us anytime. One of our scientists will contact you within 24 hours to discuss your research needs.

Tau pathology

Tau protein aggregates intracellularly in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and other tauopathies. Tau pathology propagates through the brain, likely through neuronal connections. This closely mirrors neurodegeneration and the clinical symptoms.

Tau seeding mouse models

Injection of brain extract from Alzheimer’s disease patients in the mouse brain locally induces tau pathology (Robert et al, 2021). From a biochemical and structural perspective, the induced tau pathology strongly resembles the lesions found in human patients and spreads to other brain regions. These models are therefore popular models to test therapeutic interventions for AD and other tauopathies.

Progression of tau pathology in the weeks after infusion of human tau seeds into the hippocampus of htau mice, as detected by AT8 fluorescent staining.

Transgenic models for tau seeding

We have extensive experience with tau seeding using Alzheimer’s disease brain-derived tau in the hTau mouse model. Brain extracts from other tauopathies can also be used to mimic the unique features of these diseases. Furthermore, injection of tau seeds in transgenic models that overexpression tau with FTD related mutations is widely reported to lead to rapid and aggressive induction and propagation of tau pathology.

Biological readouts

The number of tau inclusions and associated neuroinflammation or neurodegeneration can be quantified after immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of brain slices. Spreading of tau pathology can be assessed by examining brain regions distant from the injection site. In addition, we measure (phosphorylated) tau levels in the brain, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood using ultra-sensitive immunoassays.

More information

Please reach out to us if you want to learn more about our Tau seeding model solutions. We will contact you within 1 business day.

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