Use of collagenase in the preparation of neural stem cell cultures

Patent Number: 7049141

When growing neural stem cell cultures, at a certain point in culture they need to be passaged. According to the background in the patent, before the invention, scientists would dissociate neurospheres by mechanical means, which as one could expect causes a loss in cell viability. This patent covers the use of collagenase in dissociating neurospheres when passaging them. This patent is essential for scientists growing such neural stem cells, although I can imagine it must be a difficult patent to enforce since collagenase is a commonly used laboratory reagent.

View this patent on the USPTO website.