Enriched central nervous system stem cell and progenitor cell populations, and methods for identifying, isolating and enriching for such populations

Patent Number: 7,381,561

This patent covers methods of isolating neural stem cells using antibodies that bind CD49f. The first independent claim is very broad in that it is not restricted to originating material of adult or embryonic origin but simply covers a method of purifying a population by selecting for cells that initiate neurospheres in culture and express CD49f. CD49f is found on other types of stem cells as well as immune cells like monocytes and some types of T cells.

This sort of approach has previously been used by the same assignee company where cells from neural tissue are selected for based on expression of a tissue non-specific stem cell marker such as CD133.

While companies such as Aldagen have been very successful using purification techniques for enrichment of stem cells based on specific properties, their stem cells are cord blood or bone marrow, meaning they can easily be procured and/or implanted. The purification of stem cells from either adult or fetal brains seems to have many more issues.

View this patent on the USPTO website.