After providing basic background on transplantation, brain structure, and development, the book discusses Parkinson's disease, the use of transplants to influence localized brain functions, circuit reconstruction, and genetic engineering and other future technologies.
we might seek alternative sources of donor tissues. Genetic en- neering, expansion of precursor cells, generation of immortalized cell lines, and transplantation between species are all under active investigation. Although significant difficulties remain for each of these alternatives, the problems appear soluble and relevant knowledge is expanding rapidly. As we enter the twenty-first century, the place of neural tra- plantation in experimental neuroscience is continuing to evolve. Rather than being a topic in its own right, neural transplantation increasingly serves as just another technique in the researcher's armory--alongside lesions, pharmaceuticals, gene transfer, and a variety of other techniques--for the experimental manipulation of brain structure and function. This is particularly true for studies of degeneration, plasticity, regeneration, and recovery of function in the nervous system, topics of increasing importance as experimental neurobiology is required to serve the higher needs of neurological and mental health in aging societies. Within this evolving context, Neural Transplantation Methods seeks to serve a particular need: to provide experimental neu- scientists with a source book of information to enable them to select and adapt transplantation techniques to their own expe- mental programs. All authors have been asked to address prac- cal issues, to enable the reader to assess what is available, what are the alternatives, what are the practical issues to be resolved in applying a particular protocol and getting it to work reliably in their unique experimental context.
This book begins with a synopsis of experimental work underlying degeneration and recovery in the nervous system, which is then discussed in the context of strategies to repair the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). The major part of the book is given over to the approach involving the use of transplanted tissues to replace and restore disrupted neural networks. This experimental work has formed the basis for the emerging clinical trials employing neural grafts for diseases such as Parkinson's and Huntington's, which are discussed in detail. The book then goes on to discuss newer cellular strategies involving the manipulation of neural cells both in culture and genetically, an approach that may ultimately be employed in the clinical situation. Neural Repair, Transplantation and Rehabilitation is unique in bridging the gap from experimental studies to clinical trials, whilst also providing the non-specialist with a background in rehabilitation strategies as well as basic neuroscience. It is recommended for all those involved in the management of patients with degenerative and traumatic injuries to the nervous system.
Four years ago the first international symposium dealing with neural transplan tation was organized as a satellite conference to the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Los Angeles, California. The expanded proceed ings of that symposium were published by Springer-Verlag in 1983 in a volume entitled Neural Tissue Transplantation Research. We were sufficiently pleased with the results of that effort to organize a second satellite international sympo sium on Neural Transplantation and Regeneration in conjunction with the 13th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Boston in the fall of 1983. Paralleling the growing body of research dealing with various aspects of neural transplantation, the scope of this second symposium was broadened to include not only transplantation but also regeneration. Additionally, topics of clinical interest were addressed as well as issues of basic research. The promise apparent in that first conference is still seen in the second as more and more investigators apply their talents in an attempt to understand this infant field of research. The present volume represents an expanded version of the material presented at the second symposium. We wish to thank all of the contributors to the conference and to this volume for their insight and their assistance.
During the last decade research on neural transplantation in mammals has grown extensively, and has attracted the attention of many young inquisitive scientists. This growth, as the critics point out, has been somewhat random, and has resulted neither in the formulation of basic concepts nor in any other significant achievement. For instance, they question-how is it possible to jump into functional research with clinical bearing when the basic morphological work has not yet been conducted? The criticism, objectively speaking, is valid and is supported by the fact that every investigator who has stepped into this unex plored field of neurosciences has formulated questions in his own way, has followed his own "model" oftransplantation, and has arrived at his own unique conclusions. The potential danger, as the critics emphasize, in this type of approach lies in that instead of evolving into a scientifically solid and valuable field of research, it may end in a confusing and conflicting mass of questionable claims and subjective opinions. The present situation, very likely, is a reflection of unrestrained enthusiasm and imaginativeness of the investigators, and the demands of the times for the so-called "newsworthy" and "breakthrough" publications. Despite these limitations, two important facts have been estab lished in this field. First, as far as transplantation of neural tissues per se is concerned, what was considered impossible by some critics about 10-12 years ago has been shown to be possible.
Recent scientific breakthroughs, celebrity patient advocates, and conflicting religious beliefs have come together to bring the state of stem cell researchâ€"specifically embryonic stem cell researchâ€"into the political crosshairs. President Bush's watershed policy statement allows federal funding for embryonic stem cell research but only on a limited number of stem cell lines. Millions of Americans could be affected by the continuing political debate among policymakers and the public. Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine provides a deeper exploration of the biological, ethical, and funding questions prompted by the therapeutic potential of undifferentiated human cells. In terms accessible to lay readers, the book summarizes what we know about adult and embryonic stem cells and discusses how to go about the transition from mouse studies to research that has therapeutic implications for people. Perhaps most important, Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine also provides an overview of the moral and ethical problems that arise from the use of embryonic stem cells. This timely book compares the impact of public and private research funding and discusses approaches to appropriate research oversight. Based on the insights of leading scientists, ethicists, and other authorities, the book offers authoritative recommendations regarding the use of existing stem cell lines versus new lines in research, the important role of the federal government in this field of research, and other fundamental issues.
This unique reference presents studies from leading laboratories that are studying the effects of CNS transplants on neuronal plasticity and recovery of function after CNS injury. Topics covered include tropic influences, reinnervation patterns, and prevention of cell death that range from pre-clinical models of Parkinson's disease in primates to studies of restoration of circadian rhythms in rats. Techniques of neurotransplantation are presented, including current limitations and future projections of advancement.
The story of mammalian neural transplantation really begins eighty-one years ago. In Chicago in December of 1903, a 34-year-old physician, Elizabeth Hopkins Dunn, working as a research assistant in neurology, initiated a series of experiments to examine the ability of neonatal rat cerebral tissue to survive transplantation into the brain of matched littermates. Out of 46 attempts, four clearly successful grafts were identified. The publication of Dunn's results in 1917, the first credible report to demonstrate the feasibility of mammalian CNS transplants, generated little interest. In fact, the next significant experiment in this field did not appear until 1930. The field continued to grow slowly and quietly as investigators gradually realized the value of neural trans plantation to study problems of development and plasticity in the mammalian nervous system. With the discovery in 1979 that grafted neurons were capable of appropriate and functional interactions with the host brain, interest in neural transplantation esca lated sharply. The extraordinary opportunities created by using functional neural trans plants in investigating basic issues in neurobiology, as well as the clinical implications, excited both scientists and the public. The popularity of neural transplantation has been growing rapidly in the past five years and shows no signs of abating. The present volume was designed to meet two needs created by the rapid growth of this subdiscipline of neurobiology. The first was to provide a thorough review of the experimental foundations of neural transplantation.
The field of neural transplantation is at a crucial stage, with important clinical trials on transplantation in patients with Parkinson's disease nearing completion and novel, alternative approaches to fetal transplantation being developed. This timely book brings together leading neuroscientists, clinicians, and cell and developmental biologists to discuss the use of neural transplants in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. There is also extensive coverage of the potential alternatives to freshly derived fetal tissue as the source of transplants, for example xenografts, encapsulated cells and immortalized stem cells. With authoritative contributions and lively discussion sections, this book presents much new and exciting work in this field and identifies promising new research directions.
Functional Neural Transplantation IV: Translation to Clinical Application, Volume 230 provides the current status of cell transplantation in the nervous system, with a focus on the conditions for achieving structural repair and functional recovery after brain damage or in neurodegenerative disease. New to this release are chapters that delve into the Mechanisms and Use of Neural Transplants for Brain Repair, Reprogramming of Somatic Cells: iPS and iN Cells, Brain Repair from Intrinsic Cell Sources: Turning Reactive Glia into Neurons, and Ex Vivo Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Neurological Disorders, Preparation, Characterization and Banking of Clinical-grade Cells for Neural Transplantation. As the fourth in a periodic series of updates at 5-7 year intervals, this volume highlights recent developments related to the application of advances in cellular and molecular science, providing an understanding of the fundamental principles of neuroplasticity and regeneration in the brain and spinal cord, and also addressing the topic of the power of pluripotent stem cells to generate new sources of precisely specified neurons for utilization in brain repair. - Comprehensive set of critical reviews covering the field - Presents state-of-the-art topics in science and translational medicine - Written by international leaders in the field of neural transplantation