Authors:
Lihui Wang, Linli Wang, Wenhao Huang, Huanxing Su, Yanting Xue, Zhenghui Su, Baojian Liao, Haitao Wang, Xichen Bao, Dajiang Qin, Jufang He, Wutian Wu, Kwok Fai So, Guangjin Pan, & Duanqing Pei
Summary:
Human neural stem cells hold great promise for research and therapy in neural disease. We describe the generation of integration-free and expandable human neural progenitor cells (NPCs). We combined an episomal system to deliver reprogramming factors with a chemically defined culture medium to reprogram epithelial-like cells from human urine into NPCs (hUiNPCs). These transgene-free hUiNPCs can self-renew and can differentiate into multiple functional neuronal subtypes and glial cells in vitro. Although functional in vivo analysis is still needed, we report that the cells survive and differentiate upon transplant into newborn rat brain.
Source:
Nature Methods; 10, 84-89 (12/09/12)