Skip to main content
European Commission logo
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS
CORDIS Web 30th anniversary CORDIS Web 30th anniversary
Content archived on 2024-05-29

Dopaminergic neurons from human embryonic stem cell grafted in models of Parkinson's disease

Objective

State of problem: Grafting of primary embryonic neural tissue has proven that cell replacement therapy is a viable approach to the treatment of PD. However, the number of successfully grafted patients is relatively small due to limited access to suitable donor tissue.

Alternative sources of donor tissue - which are reproducibly homogeneous in their cellular composition and can be generated in large quantities - are urgently needed for cell transplantation to become a widely available therapy for PD.

Overriding objective: To propagate human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines and differentiate them into dopaminergic (DA-ergic) neurons, which can be used for neural grafting in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Aims of the present project:
- To expand cells from hES cell lines established by Lund University collaborators (SAO1 (Cell Therapeutic Scandinavia AB, Goteborg, Sweden) and #237 (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden)) and to identify epigenetic stimuli that promote their differentiation into a uniform, enriched population of DA-ergic neurons.
- To assess the DA-ergic phenotype of the hES-cell-derived neurons in vitro, regarding the expression of markers for dopamine production and handling, and exhibition of spontaneous firing as well as spontaneous and drug-induced dopamine release.
- To assess the ability of grafted hES-cell derived neurons to restore DA-ergic neurotransmission in vivo by examining their effects on behaviour in immunosuppressed hemiparkinsonian rats and their capacity to produce and release dopamine, as well as to form synapses.

Call for proposal

FP6-2002-MOBILITY-7
See other projects for this call

Coordinator

LUNDS UNIVERSITET
EU contribution
No data