Abstract: The present invention provides a group of compounds found to increase the number of neurons derived from stem cells for use as a therapeutic agent in neurological conditions or diseases. In one embodiment of the present invention, the compounds are used to detect the mechanism by which the number of neurons is increased.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and compositions for treating spinal cord diseases and injuries. The methods involve transplanting neural stem cells which have been previously expanded in vitro into a patient such that the cells can ameliorate the disease or injury. The stem cells to be transplanted are derived from spinal cord tissue.

Abstract: A systematic and efficient method for establishing stable neural stem cell lines and neuronal progenitor lines is described. The resulting cell lines provide robust, simple, and reproducible cultures of human and other mammalian neurons in commercially useful mass quantities while maintaining normal karyotypes and normal neuronal phenotypes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a group of compounds found to increase the number of neurons derived from stem cells for use as a therapeutic agent in neurological conditions or diseases. In one embodiment of the present invention, the compounds are used to detect the mechanism by which the number of neurons is increased.

Abstract: A systematic and efficient method for establishing stable neural stem cell lines and neuronal progenitor lines is described. The resulting cell lines provide robust, simple, and reproducible cultures of human and other mammalian neurons in commercially useful mass quantities while maintaining normal karyotypes and normal neuronal phenotypes.

Abstract: A method for discovering neurogenic drugs is revealed. The method allows for systematic screening of test agents such as libraries of compounds. The method consists of exposing test agents to cultures of differentiating neural progenitor cells and measuring their effects on increasing the overall cell number and/or the number of neurons.

Abstract: A method for generating five prime biased tandem tag libraries of cDNAs is revealed. The method allows generation of partial sequences consisting of a minimal length of expressed cDNA sequences of at least 20 bases from biological samples to rapidly identify novel expressed transcripts.

Abstract: A systematic and efficient method for establishing stable neural stem cell lines and neuronal progenitor lines is described. The resulting cell lines provide robust, simple, and reproducible cultures of human and other mammalian neurons in commercially useful mass quantities while maintaining normal karyotypes and normal neuronal phenotypes.

Abstract: The present invention describes a novel method to direct a particular set of fate choice decisions by multipotential precursor cells from the central nervous system. Specifically we show that introducing the gene coding for the nuclear receptor, Nurr1, into central nervous system (CNS) stem cells causes cells to adopt a dopaminergic cell fate. One use of this technology would be to prepare in vitro neural populations enriched in dopaminergic cells for transplantation in Parkinson's Disease or other neurological disorders. Furthermore, the finding that Nurr1 expression induces a dopaminergic phenotype suggests that introducing this gene into the brains of patients in which dopaminergic cells are degenerating or have been injured may promote the functional recovery of these neurons and thus the clinical recovery of the patient. Finally, the technology described in this application could be incorporated into a program of drug screening or gene discovery.

Abstract: The present invention reveals in vitro cultures of region-specific, terminally differentiated, mature neurons derived from cultures of mammalian multipotential CNS stem cells and an in vitro procedure by which the differentiated neurons may be generated. The procedure involves the culturing of multipotential CNS stem cells from a specific region in a chemically defined serum-free culture medium containing a growth factor; replacing the medium with growth factor-free medium; harvesting the stem cells by trypsinization; plating the stem cells at a density of between 100,000 to 250,000 cells per square centimeter; and culturing the stem cells in a glutamic acid-free chemically defined serum-free culture medium.

Abstract: The present invention reveals an in vitro procedure by which a homogeneous population of multipotential precursor cells from mammalian embryonic neuroepithelium (CNS stem cells) can be expanded up to 10.sup.9 fold in culture while maintaining their multipotential capacity to differentiate into neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes. Chemically defined conditions are presented that enable a large number of neurons, up to 50% of the expanded cells, to be derived from the stem cells. In addition, four factors--PDGF, CNTF, LIF, and T3--have been identified which, individually, generate significantly higher proportions of neurons, astrocytes, or oligodendrocytes. These defined procedures permit a large-scale preparation of the mammalian CNS stem cells, neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes under chemically defined conditions with efficiency and control. These cells should be an important tool for many cell- and gene-based therapies for neurological disorders.