| WARF: P04277US |  |
| In Vitro Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells and Neurons from Human Embryonic Stem Cells |
| INVENTORS | • | Su-Chun Zhang, Xue-jun Li |
OVERVIEW
This invention provides a simple and efficient method of differentiating
human embryonic stem cells into neural stem cells and neurons for pharmaceutical screening and
potential transplant therapy. The system is easily standardized and
completely chemically defined. First, human ES cells are aggregated and treated
with fibroblast growth factors to induce the cells’ development into early
neural stem cells. Different combinations of growth factors are then used to
direct these naïve neural stem cells to become progenitors of various types of
neurons. The neural progenitors organize into neural tube-like rosettes that can
be readily enriched and further differentiated into functional spinal motor
neurons, midbrain dopaminergic neurons, or forebrain dopaminergic neurons.
KEY BENEFITS
- Allows directed differentiation of human ES cells toward a specialized neuronal fate in a standard culture system
- Can be used to isolate a population of forebrain dopamine neurons, midbrain dopamine neurons, or spinal motor neurons at specific developmental stages
- Useful for pharmaceutical and toxicological screening of a compound’s effect on neuronal development and function
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Intellectual Property Status
Tech Fields
Drug Discovery - Stem cells
Drug Discovery - Pre-clinical testing
Pluripotent Cells - Differentiation
CONTACT INFORMATION
For current licensing status, please contact our team at
licensing@warf.org
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