Isolation Characterization And Utilization Of Cns Stem Cells

This volume is based on a meeting of the Fondation IPSEN, held in Paris on Sep tember 18, 1995 to address the main issues of nervous system stem cells biology. Cell replacement in the adult mammals is not unusual outside the nervous sys tem. In fact, the nervous system is unique in lacking the ability to replace cells, following damage. Most neurons, in the adult central nervous system are termin of the organism and are not replaced ally differentiated, exist through the life when they die. There are, however, regions of the postnatal brain that continue to produce new neurons, but the fate and longevity of those cells are not well known. Evidence exists that small populations of neurons continue to be born in the adult ventricular zone, olfactory epithelium and hippocampus. In the adult hippocampus, newly born neurons originate from putative stem cells that exist in the sub granular zone of the dentate gyrus. Progeny of these putative stem cells differentiate into neurons in the granular layer within a month of the cells' birth, and this late neurogenesis continues throughout the adult life of the rodent. By understanding the nature of progenitor cells present in the embryonic and adult brains, the change in their population dynamics during development, and the factors that influence their proliferation, fate choice and differentiation, it may be possible to develop a strategy to manipulate cells in situ to treat neuro degenerative diseases or the injured adult brain.

Many questions related to stem cell properties and neural stem cell lineage and differentiation still linger. This second edition revises and expands upon the successful first edition in order to provide the most current, cutting-edge methods of today for the scientists working to answer these questions. The use of these step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols will allow investigators to produce pure populations that can serve as a means of understanding the biology of neural stem cells and adapting them for transplantation into disease models. This is an excellent source of information and inspiration.

CNS Regeneration focuses on some of the leading current neurological disease models and methods for promoting central nervous system regeneration. Editors and authors are experts in the field, with experience in basic as well as applied neuroscience. In a comprehensive, logical manner, the book unites important basic science advances in neuroscience with novel medical strategies. The first comprehensive, authoritative volume on the topic of CNS regeneration Reviews current therapeutic approaches Editors and authors are experts in the field Appeals to those interested in basic science as well as those concerned with its medical application

Active neuroscientists survey NSCs as potential tools for central nervous system and spinal cord repair by explaining their clinically significant fundamental properties, manipulations, and potential therapeutic paradigms. Their discussion of the fundamental biology of NSCs illustrates the signaling pathways that regulate stem cell division and differentiation, and defines the methods of NSC expansion and propagation, neuromorphogenesis, the factors determining cell fate both in vitro and in situ, and the induction of self-reparative processes within the brain. They also present strategies that may lead to fruitful clinical applications in the near future. These range from the replacement of degenerated, dysfunctional, or maldeveloped cells to the provision of factors that may protect, correct, recruit, promote self-repair, or mediate the connectivity of host cells.

Over the last decade, neural stem cell research has provided penetrating insights into the plasticity and regenerative potential of the brain. Stem cells have been isolated from embryonic as well as adult central nervous system (CNS). Many non-CNS mammalian tissues also contain stem cells with a more limited repertoire: the replacement of tissue-specific cells throughout the li- time of the organism. Progress has been made in understanding fundamental stem cell properties that depend on the interplay of extrinsic signaling factors with intrinsic genetic programs within critical time frames. With this growing knowledge, scientists have been able to change a neural stem cell’s fate. - der certain conditions, neural stem cells have been induced to differentiate into cells outside the expected neural lineage and conversely, stem cells from nonneural tissue have been shown to transdifferentiate into cells with distinct neural phenotypes. At the moment, there is an accelerated effort to identify a readily ava- able, socially acceptable stem cell that can be induced to proliferate in an und- ferentiated state and that can be manipulated at will to generate diverse cells types. We are on the threshold of a great new therapeutic era of cellular therapy that has as great, if not greater, potential as the current pharmacologic era, g- rified by antibiotics, anesthetics, pain killers, immunosuppressants, and psyc- tropics.

This book represents the fourth ina series of international conferences related to Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PO) diseases. The first one took place in EHat, Israel in 1985; the second in Kyoto, Japan, in 1989; and the third in Chicago, IL, USA in 1993. This book incorporates the proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Pro gress in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases, held in EHat, Israel, on May 18-23, 1997. This Conference was the 41st in the series of annual OHOLO Conferences sponsored by the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR). It was also conducted under the aus pices of the Alzheimer's Association Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute, USA. The Conference was attended by 550 participants from 28 countries, representing a broad spectrum of research interests; and included a well-balanced representation from aca demia, clinical institutions and pharmaceutical industry. The four-and-one-half day meeting served as an excellent medium for surveying the current preclinical and clinical develop ments in AD, PO, and other related disorders. The scientific program was divided into 24 oral sessions and daily poster sessions. The conference culminated in a round table discus sion. There were 122 talks and 161 posters. This book incorporates a combination of both.

Neural Surface Antigens: From Basic Biology towards Biomedical Applications focuses on the functional role of surface molecules in neural development, stem cell research, and translational biomedical paradigms. With an emphasis on human and rodent model systems, this reference covers fundamentals of neural stem cell biology and flow cytometric methodology. Addressing cell biologists as well as clinicians working in the neurosciences, the book was conceived by an international panel of experts to cover a vast array of particular surface antigen families and subtypes. It provides insight into the basic biology and functional mechanisms of neural cell surface signaling molecules influencing mammalian development, regeneration, and treatments. Introduces early phase clinical trials of neural stem cells Outlines characterization of surface molecule expression and methods for isolation which open unprecedented opportunities for functional study, quantitation & diagnostics Highlights the role of stem cells in neural surface antigen and biomarker analysis and applications

There are numerous books on cellular and molecular protocols for general use in cell biology but very few are exclusively devoted to neurobiology. This book fills this gap and explains in a clear and consistent manner, some of the more commonly used protocols in neuroscience research. Each chapter is written by either the person who invented the procedure or an expert in the field. The format is uniform: "Overview," "Background," "Protocols," and "results and discussion." Each protocol begins with the principle of the technique, studies in cell culture, materials and reagents, and, lastly, step-by-step outline of the procedure itself. This highly practical book is also well illustrated (with 17 four color plates) to make the concepts and procedures easy to understand and perform.