| Abstract: | Previous studies have suggested that human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) may serve as a rich source of hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic stem cells and that conditions exist that can coax hematopoietic cells to express neural characteristics. In our laboratory, these cells were tested for several models of neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries. Through a series of transplantation studies we have begun to uncover the properties of HUCB‐derived cells in neuropoietic regions of the neonatal (1) and aging rodent brain. The systematic application of phenotyping approaches to characterize survival, migratory potential and morphologic properties of the differentiated HUCB progeny within normal/unaffected brain will serve as a base for understanding the potential effect of these cells in the diseased brain. Acknowledgements: Supported in part by R01 6155039 (TZ). HUCB cells were obtained from Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc. and BioWhittaker, Inc. |
