Berlin 2024 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 36: Cell Mechanics II

BP 36.2: Talk

Friday, March 22, 2024, 10:15–10:30, H 0112

Electromagnetic field stimulation (EMS) rescues defects in axonal organelle trafficking, regeneration and DNA damage response (DNA-DR) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — •Arun Pal, Jens Pietzsch, and Thomas Herrmannsdörfer — Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)

Cellular events benefit from EMS with alternating fields (AC). Our in vitro experiments on cultured compartmentalized iPSC-derived spinal motoneurons from familiar ALS patients aim to reveal the optimal magnetic field configuration with respect to the AC frequency, amplitude and orientation. Following EMS, we analyzed its impact on axonal organelle trafficking, regeneration after axotomy and DNA-DR in the nucleus by live-cell imaging. All three readout assays are clinically relevant for neurodegeneration and revealed clear defects in our ALS neurons. Beyond a critical threshold of field strength, we found a sustained rescue of the motility of axonal mitochondria and lysosomes along with increased outgrowth speed of growth cones after axotomy and a re-activated DNA-DR through AC sine waves at perpendicular field orientation to the axonal plane with a special frequency optimum. Our results point to a powerful non-invasive and non-pharmacological novel therapeutic method. Thus, we are prototyping a patient stretcher with multiple arrayed built-in magnetic coils to expose all body parts to vectorized magnetic fields of any spatiotemporal modulation for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The coils can be operated either in a continuous AC mode or with repetitive pulses by discharging a capacitor bank.

Keywords: neurodegenerative diseases; axonal organelle transport along microtubules; nuclear DNA damage response and repair; alternating electromagnetic field stimulation; novel therapeutic approaches