| | Category | ME | L23 | Potential of Cord Blood Derived AC133+ Stem Cells to Give Neuronal |
| | Cell Types |
| | Abstract | Stem cells/progenitors are central to the development of therapies for |
| | various diseases. Human umbilical cord blood (CB) presents clear |
| | advantages over other sources due to its immediate availability, non- |
| | invasive collection, simple and efficient characterization, and ease of |
| | banking. All individuals are at risk from neurological damage including |
| | spinal cord injuries and stroke. CB progenitor cells (CBPCs) hold enormous |
| | promise for developing treatments for neurological diseases. The aim of |
| | this study was to determine the neurogenic potential of AC133+ CBPCs |
| | after long term in vitro amplification. Flow cytometry and western blot |
| | analysis determined that the cell population expanded by a 221-fold over a |
| | period of thirty days while preserving stem cell characteristics. |
| | Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that cells expressed neuronal markers |
| | β III tubulin, MAP-2, NeuN, Nestin, and TH. These indicate that |
| | AC133+ CBPCs can successfully give rise to differentiated neuronal |
| | lineage progeny. Therefore, these cells can be utilized both as therapeutic |
| | tools for neurological conditions and in studies on progenitor cell biology |
| | and development. |
| | Bibliography | 1) Krtolica, A., Stem cell: balancing aging and cancer. The International |
| | Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, 2005. 37(5): p. 935-941. 2) |
| | McGuckin, C.P. and N. Forraz, Potential for access to embryionic-like cells |
| | from human umbilical cord blood. Cell Prolif, 2008. 41: p. 31-40. 3) |
| | Klimanskaya, I., et al., Human embryonic stem cells derived without feeder |
| | cells. The Lancet, 2005. 365(9471): p. 1636-1641. |