Improving induction efficiency, safety and cost by reprogramming mammalian fibroblasts to induced neural stem cells using small-molecule compounds.
Improving induction efficiency, safety and cost by reprogramming mammalian fibroblasts to induced neural stem cells using small-molecule compounds.
Induced neural stem cells provide opportunities for research applications in:
Despite remarkable progress in stem cell research, clinical use of induced stem cells poses ethical issues (eg use of embryonic stem cells) and potential safety risks (eg use of oncogenic transcription factors). In addition there is low reprogramming efficiency of stem cells.
Human and mouse fibroblasts and human urine cells can be fully reprogrammed into induced multipotent neural stem cells using small-molecule compounds.
Stage of development: preclinical (in vitro).
The technology has been filed as an Australian Provisional Patent Application: PCT/AU2012/001525, “Method of Producing Mulitpotent Stem Cells”.