Disease Focus: Stroke
Paracrine and synaptic mechanisms underlying neural stem cell-mediated stroke recovery
Stem cell therapy holds promise for the almost million Americans yearly who suffer a stroke. Preclinical data have shown that human neural stem cells (hNSCs) aid recovery after stroke, resulting in a major effort to advance stem cell therapy to the clinic, and we are currently transitioning our hNSC product to the clinic for stroke […]
Programming Human ESC-derived Neural Stem Cells with MEF2C for Transplantation in Stroke
The goal of this project is to produce a stem cell-based therapy for stroke (also known as an ischemic cerebral infarct). Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the USA, and a leading cause of disability among adults. Currently, there are no effective treatments once a stroke has occurred (termed completed stroke). In […]
Programming Human ESC-derived Neural Stem Cells with MEF2C for Transplantation in Stroke
The goal of this project is to produce a stem cell-based therapy for stroke (also known as an ischemic cerebral infarct). Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the USA, and a leading cause of disability among adults. Currently, there are no effective treatments once a stroke has occurred (termed completed stroke). In […]
Development of Single Cell MRI Technology using Genetically-Encoded Iron-Based Reporters
Clinical application of cell transplantation therapy requires a means of non-invasively monitoring these cells in the patient. Several imaging modalities, including MRI, bioluminescence imaging, and positron emission tomography have been used to track stem cells in vivo. For MR imaging, cells are pre-loaded with molecules or particles that substantially alter the image brightness; the most […]
Development of a Hydrogel Matrix for Stem Cell Growth and Neural Repair after Stroke
Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. Most patients survive their initial stroke, but do not recover fully. Because of incomplete recovery, up to 1/3 of stroke patients are taken from independence to a nursing home or assisted living environment, and most are left with some disability in strength or control of the arms […]
Defining the Isoform-Specific Effects of Apolipoprotein E on the Development of iPS Cells into Functional Neurons in Vitro and in Vivo
GOALS We propose to determine the effects of different forms of apoE on the development of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into functional neurons. In Aim 1, iPS cells will be generated from skin cells of adult knock-in (KI) mice expressing different forms of human apoE and in humans with different apoE genotypes. In Aim […]
MEF2C-Directed Neurogenesis From Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Understanding differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) provides insight into early human development and will help directing hESC differentiation for future cell-based therapies of Parkinson’s disease, stroke and other neurodegenerative conditions. The PI’s laboratory was the first to clone and characterize the transcription factor MEF2C, a protein that can direct the orchestra of genes […]
Human stem cell derived oligodendrocytes for treatment of stroke and MS
Strokes that affect the nerves cells, i.e., “gray matter”, consistently receive the most attention. However, the kind of strokes that affecting the “wiring” of the brain, i.e., “white matter”, cause nearly as much disability. The most severe disability is caused when the stroke is in the wiring (axons) that connect the brain and spinal cord; […]
Epigenetic gene regulation during the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells: Impact on neural repair
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have the potential to become all sorts of cells in human body including nerve cells. Moreover, hESCs can be expanded in culture plates into a large quantity, thus serving as an ideal source for cell transplantation in clinical use. However, the existing hESC lines are not fully characterized in terms […]
New Chemokine-Derived Therapeutics Targeting Stem Cell Migration
This proposal describes a sharply-focused, timely, and rigorous effort to develop new therapies for the treatment of injuries of the Central Nervous System (CNS). The underlying hypothesis for this proposal is that chemokines and their receptors (particularly those involved in inflammatory cascades) actually play important roles in mediating the directed migration of human neural stem […]