Human iPSC Platforms for 2D and 3D Disease Modeling: Brain Disorders and Beyond
Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen
This is a specialised course. This means that 80% of the seats are reserved to PhD students enrolled at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at UCPH and 20% of the seats are reserved to PhD students from other Danish Universities/faculties (except CBS).
The course is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except Copenhagen Business School), and for PhD Students from NorDoc member faculties. All other participants must pay the course fee.
Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student at a Danish university, you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. This also applies to PhD students from NorDoc member faculties. After the enrollment deadline, available seats will be allocated to applicants on the waiting list.
Learning objectives
A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to:
Skills:
• Freeze and thaw human induced pluripotent stem cells
• Maintain and expand human induced pluripotent stem cells
• Generate iPSC via electroporation of episomal plasmids
• Differentiate human induced pluripotent stem cells into astrocytes, microglia and cortical neurons
• Generate 3D cultures
• Analyze induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural cells using different molecular methodologies
• Design CRISPRs guides and templates for gene-editing of pluripotent stem cells
• Perform nucleofection based CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing
Knowledge:
• Acquire a detailed understanding of the derivation of pluripotent stem cells
• Acquire a detailed theoretical understanding of the states of pluripotency
• Acquire a detailed understanding of early neural developmental processes and molecular cues that govern neural patterning
• Acquire a detailed understanding of the latest protocols for differentiation of iPSC into neural subtypes, astrocytes and microglia
• Gain detailed knowledge on state-of-the-art methods for culturing pluripotent stem cells
• Gain detailed knowledge on the latest methods for differentiating pluripotent stem cells into neural cell types (with focus on neurons, astrocytes) in 2D and 3D
• Gain detailed knowledge on the latest methods for differentiating pluripotent stem cells into microglia
• Gain detailed knowledge on implementing 2D and 3D cultures in basic research and translational aspects.
• Gain expertise on use and application of CRISPR guides in gene-editing of pluripotent stem cells
• Gain detailed knowledge on the potential of AI based application in the research context
Competences:
• Will be able to develop custom-designed experiments in their own lab pertaining to pluripotent stem cell culture and differentiation into neural cells, glia and microglia
• Will be able to custom-design CRISPRs for gene-editing of their own cell lines
• Will be able to perform iPSC reprogramming and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing using electroporation based methods
Content
Pluripotent stem cell biology, Neural development and molecular patterning of the developing brain, Neural differentiation, Astrocyte differentiation, Microglia differentiation, Tissue culture of pluripotent stem cells, Tissue culture of different neural subtypes, astrocytes, 3D cultures, glia and microglia, CRISPR-Cas9 technologies and applications in pluripotent stem cells
Participants
PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and technicians embarking on culture of pluripotent stem cells with application for neural cell studies, microglia and optic cups
Relevance to graduate programmes
The course is relevant to PhD students from the following graduate programmes at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH; Neuroscience Academy Denmark (https://neuroscienceacademydenmark.dk/)
- All graduate programmes
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Mechanisms of Disease
Language
English
Form
Lectures, keynote lectures, group exercises, practical laboratory work, oral student presentations
Course director
Kristine Freude, Professor, Dept. of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Sciences, kkf@sund.ku.dk
Teachers
Kristine Freude, Professor, University of Copenhagen
Blanca Aldana, Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen
Claus Desler, Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen
Helena Borland Madsen, Assistant Professor, University of Copenhagen
Samir Bhatt, Professor, University of Copenhagen
Morten Meyer, Associate Professor, University of Southern Denmark
Yonglun Luo, Associate Professor, Arhus University (TBC)
Katja Scheffler, NTNU, Norway
Methi Wathikthinnakon, University of Copenhagen
Henriette R Frederiksen, University of Copenhagen
Dates
September 21-25, 2026.
Course location
Frederiksberg Campus, Grønnegårdsvej 7.
Registration
Please register before Aug 24, 2026
Expected frequency
Yearly