Disease Focus: Neurological Disorders
Developing a regeneration-based functional restoration treatment for spinal cord injury
One of the most exciting and challenging frontiers in neuroscience and medicine is to repair traumatic injuries to the central nervous system (CNS). Most spinal cord and head injuries result in devastating paralyses, yet very limited clinical intervention is currently available to restore the lost abilities. Traumatic injuries of the spine cause fractures and compression […]
Molecular mechanisms of neural stem cell differentiation in the developing brain
One of the most exciting possibilities in stem cell biology is the potential to replace damaged or diseased neural tissues affected by neurodegenerative disorders. Stem-cell-derived neurons provide a potentially limitless supply of replacement cells to repair damaged or diseased neurons. Typically, only one or a very few types of neurons are affected in most neurodegenerative […]
In vitro reprogramming of mouse and human somatic cells to an embryonic state
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are remarkable cells in that they can replicate themselves indefinitely and have the potential to turn into all possible cell type of the body under appropriate environmental conditions. These characteristics make ES cells a unique tool to study development in the culture dish and put them at center stage for regenerative […]
ES-Derived Cells for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, affecting over 5 million people in the US alone. Boosting immune responses to beta-Amyloid (Aβ) has proven beneficial in mouse models and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. Vaccinating Alzheimer’s mice with Aβ improves cognitive performance and lessens pathological features within the brain, such as […]
ES-Derived Cells for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, affecting over 5 million people in the US alone. Boosting immune responses to beta-Amyloid (Aβ) has proven beneficial in mouse models and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. Vaccinating Alzheimer’s mice with Aβ improves cognitive performance and lessens pathological features within the brain, such as […]
Genetic Encoding Novel Amino Acids in Embryonic Stem Cells for Molecular Understanding of Differentiation to Dopamine Neurons
Embryonic stem cells have the capacity to self-renew and differentiate into other cell types. Understanding how this is regulated on the molecular level would enable us to manipulate the process and guide stem cells to generate specific types of cells for safe transplantation. However, complex networks of intracellular cofactors and external signals from the environment […]
Molecular mechanisms involved in adult neural stem cell maintenance
The adult brain contains a pool of stem cells, termed adult neural stem cells, that could be used for regenerative purposes in diseases that affect the nervous system. The goal of this proposal is to understand the mechanisms that promote the maintenance of adult neural stem cells as an organism ages. Understanding the factors that […]
Developmental Candidates for Cell-Based Therapies for Parkinson’s Disease (PD)
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a devastating disorder, stealing vitality from vibrant, productive adults & draining our health care dollars. It is also an excellent model for studying other neurodegenerative conditions. We have discovered that human neural stem cells (hNSCs) may exert a significant beneficial impact in the most authentic, representative, & predictive animal model of […]
Neural Stem Cells as a Developmental Candidate to Treat Alzheimer Disease
Alzheimer disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia among the elderly and the third leading cause of death, presently afflicts over 5 million people in the USA, including over 500,000 in California. Age is the major risk factor, with 5% of the population over age 65 affected, with the incidence doubling every 5 years […]
Sustained siRNA production from human MSC to treat Huntingtons Disease and other neurodegenerative disorders
One in every ten thousand people in the USA have Huntington’s Disease, and it impacts many more. Multiple generations within a family can inherit the disease, resulting in escalating health care costs and draining family resources. This highly devastating and fatal disease touches all races and socioeconomic levels, and there are currently no cures. Screening […]