| Efficient Generation of Midbrain Neurons from Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells |
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Institute : National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
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| Description of Invention : |
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder affecting an estimated one million patients in the United States. Parkinson's disease occurs when dopamine producing cells in the central nervous system degenerate. Currently patients receive medications to treat the symptoms, but not cure or stop the progression of the disease. As the disease progresses the medications usually become less effective. One encouraging new form of therapy replaces the lost dopamine producing neurons with transplanted cells. A major obstacle to cell replacement therapy has been obtaining sufficient dopamine producing cells. Therapeutic or ethical problems exist for all presently available sources of cells for transplantation. This invention provides a method for efficiently generating dopaminergic neurons from embryonic stem cells. Embryonic cells are totipotent cells which can proliferate indefinitely in the undifferentiated state. A method of generating specific differentiated cells from embryonic stem cells thus provides a potentially unlimited source of those cells. A sequence of culturing steps involving exposure to specific neurotrophic factors and other agents produces a high percentage of cultured dopaminergic neurons. An unlimited supply of dopaminergic neurons which may be suitable for transplantation is thus provided. Details of some aspects of this invention can be found in Nature Biotechnology Vol. 18, pages 675-679, June 2000.
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| Inventors : |
Sang-Hun Lee, Nadya Lumelsky, Lorenz Studer and Ronald McKay |
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| Patent Status : |
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| NIH Reference Number: |
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| Portfolios : |
Central Nervous System -Therapeutics-Neurological Therapeutics-Antiparkinsonian
Central Nervous System -Therapeutics
Central Nervous System -Research Materials
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| For Additional Information Please Contact: |
| Norbert J. Pontzer JD PhD, Office of Technology Transfer |
| Phone: (301)435-5502 |
Email: pontzern@mail.nih.gov
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| For Additional Information Regarding Collaboration
with the Investigator Please Contact: |
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| Last Updated: 7/20/2006 |
