Differentiation of hEPI-NCSC into dopaminergic neurons and application in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease
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NESCI would be interested in funding / studentship opportunities for the following proposal.
NESCI are interested in industrial partners who may like to collaborate in one of these fields (for a CASE studentship or other awards), or in anyone who is interested in these areas of research (including other academic groups). For further details, please contact Helen Clamp from NESCI.
Project: Differentiation of hEPI-NCSC into dopaminergic neurons and application in an animal model of Parkinson’s diseases
Lead: Professor Maya Sieber-Blum
This project focuses on directed differentiation of human epidermal neural crest stem cells (hEPI-NCSC) into dopaminergic neurons and their application in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease. hEPI-NCSC represent a novel type of neural crest-derived multipotent adult stem cell. The neural crest is a transient embryonic tissue that generates a diverse array of cell types and tissues in the adult organism, including catecholaminergic neurons. Catecholaminergic neurons synthesize the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. hEPI-NCSC are thus attractive candidate stem cells for dopaminergic differentiation. Preliminary data indicate that directed differentiation in culture is feasible and robust. Main techniques involved in this project include microdissection of human skin, cell culture, immunocytochemistry, real-time polymerase chain reaction, fluorescence microscopy, and confocal microscopy. Depending his/her progress, the student may also learn animal surgery and small animal imaging. For further information contact Prof Maya Sieber-Blum by email at maya.sieber-blum@ncl.ac.uk.
