Lineage restricted glial precursors from the central nervous system

Patent Number: 6900054

Glial cells performed numerous functions in the nervous system including providing support, nutrition, and form myelin for neurons. They represent 90% of the cells in the central nervous system. The ability to generate glial cells ex vivo is critical not only for the potential of administering such cells to damaged areas, but also for using these cells are vectors to carry genes in order to locally deliver an agent.

This patent is very interesting and should be looked into further. The two independent claims are:

A method of obtaining glial cells comprising: (a) isolating glial restricted precursor cells from central nervous system tissue by negative immunoselection of E-NCAM positive calls followed by positive immunoselection with an A2B5 antibody, said glial restricted precursor cells being immunonegative for PDGF-.alpha. receptor, PDGF-.beta. receptor, and Ran-2 antigen, not labeled with R24 anti-GD3 antibody, and immnunopositive for A2B5 antigen; and (b) plating said isolated glial restricted precursor cells of step (a) under differentiating conditions, thereby causing said isolated glial restricted precursor cells to differentiate into glial cells.

A method for continuously propagating glial restricted precursor cells immunonegative for PDGF-.alpha. receptor, PDGF-.beta. receptor, and Ran-2 antigen, not labeled with R24 anti-GD3 antibody, and immunopositive for A2B5 antigen comprising the steps of: (a) isolating glial restricted precursor cells from central nervous system tissue by negative immunoselection of E-NCAM positive cells followed by positive immunoselection with an A2B5 antibody, said glial restricted precursor cells being immunonegative for PDGF-.alpha. receptor, PDGF-.beta. receptor, and Ran-2 antigen, not labeled with R24 anti-GD3 antibody, and immunopositive for A2B5 antigen; and (b) culturing said isolated glial restricted precursor cells of step (a) in vitro in the presence of minimal essential salts and effective amounts of platelet derived growth factor and fibroblast growth factor.

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