97 results about "Neuroglia" patented technology

A tissue-engineered peripheral nerve for reparing the demaged peripheral nerve is composed of neural canal and neuroglia cells or stem cells, and is prepared through preparing neural canal, preparing neurotrophic factor release controllable microspheres, and configuring the tissue-engineered peripheral nerve.

A statistical and functional correlation strategy to identify changes in cellular pathways specifically linked to impaired cognitive function with aging. Analyses using the strategy identified multiple groups of genes expressed in the hippocampi of mammals, where the genes were expressed at different levels for several ages. The aging changes in expression began before mid-life. Many of the genes were involved in specific neuronal and glial pathways with previously unrecognized relationships to aging and/or cognitive decline. The processes identified by the strategy suggest a new hypothesis of brain aging in which initially decreased neuronal activity and/or oxidative metabolism trigger separate but parallel genomic cascades in neurons and glia. In neurons, the cascade results in elevations in calcium signaling and reductions of immediate early gene signaling, biosynthesis, synaptogenesis and neurite remodeling. In contrast, glia undergo increased lipid metabolism and mediate a cycle of demyelination and remyelination that induces antigen presentation, inflammation, oxidative stress and extracellular restructuring. These identified genes and the proteins they encode can be used as novel biomarkers of brain aging and as targets for developing treatment methods against age-related cognitive decline, Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease.

Antibodies, and particularly human antibodies, are disclosed that demonstrate activity in the treatment of demyelinating diseases as well as other diseases of the central nervous system that are of viral, bacterial or idiopathic origin, including neural dysfunction caused by spinal cord injury. Neuromodulatory agents are set forth that include and comprise a material selected from the group consisting of an antibody capable of binding structures or cells in the central nervous system, a peptide analog, a hapten, active fragments thereof, agonists thereof, mimics thereof, monomers thereof and combinations thereof. The neuromodulatory agent has one or more of the following characteristics: it is capable of inducing remyelination; binding to neural tissue; promoting Ca⁺⁺ signaling with oligodendrocytes; and promoting cellular proliferation of glial cells. Amino acid and DNA sequences of exemplary antibodies are disclosed. Methods are described for treating demyelinating diseases, and diseases of the central nervous system of humans and domestic animals, using polyclonal IgM antibodies and human monoclonal antibodies sHIgm22(LYM 22), sHIgm46(LYM46) ebvHIgM MSI19D10, CB2bG8, AKJR4, CB2iE12, CB2iE7, MSI19E5 and MSI10E10, active fragments thereof and the like. The invention also extends to the use of human antibodies, fragments, peptide derivatives and like materials, and their use in diagnostic and therapeutic applications, including screening assays for the discovery of additional antibodies that bind to cells of the nervous system, particularly oligodendrocytes.

The present invention relates to novel methods for combating cell degeneration or dysfunction resulting from neuroinflammatory conditions. The invention especially relates to the use, in the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease associated with neuroinflammation, of an immunogenic compound which is capable of inducing an immune response against a proapoptotic neurotrophin, or an effective amount of a hapten combined with appropriate carriers and/or adjuvants to render the resulting combination capable of inducing an immune response against a proapoptotic neurotrophin. Also disclosed are compositions for the active or passive immunization against neuronal or glial cell apoptosis caused by neuroinflammation as well as methods and means useful for said active or passive immunization.

Disclosed is an in vitro method of transdifferentiating an epidermal basal cell into a cell having one or more morphological, physiological and/or immunological features of a glial cell. Also disclosed are such transdifferentiated cells and cell cultures derived from them. A kit for converting, in vitro, epidermal basal cells into cells having one or more morphological, physiological and/or immunological features of a glial cell is also disclosed.

Disclosed is a method of transdifferentiating an epidermal basal cell into a cell having one or more morphological, physiological and/or immunological features of a neural progenitor, neuronal, or glial cell by culturing a proliferating epidermal basal cell population derived from the skin of a mammalian subject; exposing the epidermal basal cell(s) to an antagonist of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), such as fetuin, noggin, chordin, gremlin, or follistatin; and growing the cell(s) in the presence of at least one antisense oligonucleotide comprising a segment of a human MSX1 gene and/or a segment of a human HES1 gene, or homologous non-human counterpart of either of these. Also disclosed is a transdifferentiated cell of epidermal origin and cell cultures derived therefrom. In addition, methods of using the inventive transdifferentiated cell(s) and cell cultures to identify a novel nerve growth factor or to screen a potential chemotherapeutic agent by detecting the presence or absence of an effect, in vitro, on a morphological, physiological and/or molecular biological property of the transdifferentiated cell(s) are described, as is a method of using the transdifferentiated cell(s) and cell cultures to screen a potential chemotherapeutic agent to treat a nervous system disorder of genetic origin. A kit useful for practicing the methods is disclosed

The present invention provides a method of increasing neural stem cell numbers or neurogenesis by using prolactin. The method can be practiced in vivo to obtain more neural stem cells in situ, which can in turn produce more neurons or glial cells to compensate for lost or dysfunctional neural cells. The method can also be practiced in vitro to produce a large number of neural stem cells in culture. The cultured stem cells can be used, for example, for transplantation treatment of patients or animals suffering from neurodegenerative diseases or conditions. In addition, since neural stem cells are a source for olfactory neurons, the present invention also provides methods of increasing olfactory neurons and enhancing olfactory functions.

A therapeutic effect of Nurr1 and Foxa2 in inflammatory neurologic disorders by M1-to-M2 polarization of glial cells is provided. Specifically, a method of converting glial cells from an M1 phenotype to an M2 phenotype, wherein Nurr1 and Foxa2 are introduced into the glial cells to be overexpressed in the glial cells and a method of preventing or treating an inflammatory neurologic disorder, which includes glial cells into which Nurr1 and Foxa2 are introduced, or a viral vector loaded with Nurr1 and Foxa2, are provided.

A method for treating demyelinating diseases in a patient in need thereof by treatment with an effective amount of a PPAR delta agonist is disclosed. Demyelinating diseases that may be effectively treated by this method include but are not limited to multiple sclerosis, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, encephalomyelitis, neuromyelitis optica, adrenoleukodystrophy, Guillian-Barre syndrome and disorders in which myelin forming glial cells are damaged including spinal cord injuries, neuropathies and nerve injury.

The present invention describes a dissociated cell culture system comprising cells of the hippocampus, one of the brain areas affected by Alzheimer's Disease (AD) or amyloid beta-related diseases. This culture system comprises hippocampal neuronal and glial cells from animal models of AD, particularly, but not limited to, double transgenic mice expressing both the human APP mutation (K670N:M671L) (mAPP), and the human PS1 mutation (M146L) (mPS1), and serves as a powerful tool for the screening and testing of compounds and substances, e.g., drugs, for their ability to affect, treat, or prevent AD or β-amyloid-related diseases. The effects of a test substance on the cells in this culture system can be quantitatively assessed to determine if the test substance affects the cells biochemically and/or electrophysiologically, and/or optically, and/or immunocytochemically. The present in vitro culture system is advantageous for AD drug screening, because it is rapid and efficient. By contrast, even in the fastest animal model of AD, pathology does not start before the end of the second month. If such in vivo animal models are used, it is necessary to wait at least the two month time duration or longer to test for drug efficacy for AD treatment or prevention. At the same time the present invention provides a tool for production of amyloid-beta that can be used for electrophysiological, behavioral, and toxicological studies.

A method for recognizing and evaluating the presence and function of GnRH receptors on tumor cells originating in the brain and/or nervous system and/or the meninges and/or reactive neuroglia cells and/or primitive neuroectodermal tumor cells and/or on Kaposi sarcoma is provided. Furthermore a method for reducing degenerate GnRH-positive tumor cells and/or for decreasing cellular replication of the above GnRH-positive tumor cells comprising administering to a cell or to a subject a replication decreasing amount of a GnRH agonist and/or GnRH antagonist and/or an erythropoietin agonist, and/or a thrombopoietin agonist, and/or a endothelin antagonist and/or a gonadotropin inhibiting hormone agonist is also provided. Furthermore, a diagnostic kit for detecting GnRH receptors on tumor cells according to the present methods is disclosed.

A process for generating multipotent cells from glial cells using in vitro techniques to dedifferentiate fetal or adult mammalian glial cells into multipotent cells. The multipotent cells may further be differentiated into particular types of nervous system cells, including neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. A small sample of astrocytes is used to establish an in vitro culture of cells that is expanded and processed to yield multipotent cells that may be used directly or be differentiated to yield neurons and/or oligodendrocytes and/or astrocytes. The invention includes implanting the generated cells into patients. The invention includes a step of exposing the cells to a growth factor.

The invention provides a method for preparing a novel neural stem cell which is derived from bone marrow and can express an anti-inflammatory cell factor IL-10. The method comprises the following steps of: (1) generating and cultivating a bone marrow-derived neural stem cell and cultivating a brain-derived neural stem cell in vitro; and (2) updating the bone marrow-derived neural stem cell and the brain-derived neural stem cell by self and comparing the differentiation capacities to verify that the two cells have the same self update and differentiation capacity and both can be differentiated into neuron and neuroglia cell energy. The neural stem cell prepared by the method can be used for treating MS (Multiple Sclerosis) diseases and other various nerve system diseases, provides a brand new approach for the MS and other nerve system diseases and has wide application prospect.

Methods of treating glioma are provided. Aspects of the invention include administering a therapeutically-effective amount of an agent that inhibits the activity of one or more neuronal activity-regulated proteins selected from: neuroligin-3, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), or brevican, to a patient with a glioma. In certain embodiments, the subject methods involve treating a neurological dysfunction, reducing invasion of a glioma cell into brain tissue, and/or reducing the growth rate of a glioma in the patient. Also provided herein are methods for identifying an agent that modulates the mitotic index of a glial cell, and methods for stimulating the proliferation of a glial cell. Kits that find use in practicing the subject methods are also provided.