Human Neural Stem Cells Branch out

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Research paper pp. 1033--1039; 1040--1044 Research news pp. 1007--1008 Human neural stem cells branch out

In this issue, scientists have isolated neural stem cells that might one day be used to mend damaged nerves or to replace diseased brain cells. Until recently, almost all our knowledge on neural stem cells has been gathered using cells isolated from rodents. In this issue, two groups report the isolation of neural stem cells from humans that could ultimately be used in cell replacement and gene therapies for patients with neurodegenerative disease or paralysis. The studies provide ample evidence that these are genuine stem cells capable of differentiating into the myriad types of nerve cell that make up the human nervous system.

In the first paper, Evan Snyder and colleagues isolate human neural cells from fetal brain tissue that are capable of repeated regeneration in a petri dish and retain the ability to differentiate into all types of nerve cells when either treated with growth factors or manipulated genetically. They went on to show that these stem cells both are capable of compensating for an enzyme deficiency in a nerve cell line cultured in the laboratory and grow, migrate, and differentiate when injected into different areas of the brains of live mice. In addition, the cells can be genetically engineered to efficiently express a foreign protein and can replace diseased neurons in a mouse model of neurodegenerative disease. In a parallel study, Oliver Br¸stle and collaborators isolate human neural stem cells from fetal tissue---albeit less characterized than those of Snyder---and attempt to determine whether these cells can incorporate efficiently into rat brains after transplantation. Sure en! ough, following injection into rat brains, the stem cells repopulated all the major regions of the brain and differentiated into the three main nerve cell types.

Contact: (Author) Dr. Evan Y. Snyder Depts of Neurology and Pediatrics Harvard Medical School 300 Longwood Avenue 248 Enders Building Boston, MA 02115 Tel: 617 355 6277 Fax: 617 738 1542 Email: snyder@a1.tch.harvard.edu

(Author) Dr. Oliver Br¸stle Department of Neuropathology University of Bonn Medical Center Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25 D-53105 Bonn Tel: +49 228 287 6607 Fax: +49 228 287 4331 Email: umt910@ibm.rhrz.uni-bonn.de

(Research News) Drs. Paul R. Sanberg Division of Neurological Surgery Univ of South Florida College of Medicine MDC Box 16 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Tampa, FL 33612 tel 813 974 3154 fax 813 974 3078

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#1. Human neural stem cells branch out (Research paper pp. 1033--1039; 1040--1044, Research news pp. 1007--1008)

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