Neural Cell News Volume 10.31 | Aug 10 2016

TOP STORY

Human Neural Stem Cells in Patients with Chronic Ischaemic Stroke: A Phase I, First-In-Man Study

CTX0E03 is an immortalised human neural stem-cell line from which a drug product (CTX-DP) was developed for allogeneic therapy. Researchers found that single intracerebral doses of CTX-DP up to 20 million cells induced no adverse events and were associated with improved neurological function in ischaemic stroke patients. [Lancet] Abstract

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A Human Neurodevelopmental Model for Williams Syndrome

Scientists investigated neural progenitor cells and cortical neurons derived from Williams syndrome and typically – developing induced pluripotent stem cells. Neural progenitor cells in Williams syndrome have an increased doubling time and apoptosis compared with typically – developing neural progenitor cells. [Nature] Full Article | Press Release

The Prion Protein Is an Agonistic Ligand of the G Protein-Coupled Receptor Adgrg6

Researchers showed that the cAMP concentration in sciatic nerves from PrP^C-deficient mice is reduced, suggesting that PrP^C acts via a G protein-coupled receptor. [Nature] Abstract | Press Release

Nuclear GSK3β Promotes Tumorigenesis by Phosphorylating KDM1A and Inducing Its Deubiquitylation by USP22

Investigators showed that nuclear GSK3β is responsible for the accumulation of the histone demethylase KDM1A and critically regulates histone H3K4 methylation during tumorigenesis. [Nat Cell Biol] Abstract

Somatodendritic Expression of JAM2 Inhibits Oligodendrocyte Myelination

Utilizing a purified spinal cord neuron-oligodendrocyte myelinating co-culture system, scientists demonstrated that disruption of dynamic neuron-oligodendrocyte signaling by chemical cross-linking results in aberrant myelination of the somatodendritic compartment of neurons. [Neuron] Abstract

Regrowth of Serotonin Axons in the Adult Mouse Brain Following Injury

It is widely believed that damaged axons in the adult mammalian brain have little capacity to regrow, thereby impeding functional recovery after injury. Studies using fixed tissue have suggested that serotonin neurons might be a notable exception, but remain inconclusive. Researchers have employed in vivo two-photon microscopy to produce time-lapse images of serotonin axons in the neocortex of the adult mouse. [Neuron] Abstract

Widespread Transneuronal Propagation of α-Synucleinopathy Triggered in Olfactory Bulb Mimics Prodromal Parkinson’s Disease

Researchers hypothesized that injection of fibrillar α-syn into the olfactory bulb of wild-type mice would recreate the sequential progression of Lewy-like pathology, while triggering olfactory deficits. They demonstrated that injected α-syn fibrils recruit endogenous α-syn into pathological aggregates that spread transneuronally over several months, initially in the olfactory network and later in distant brain regions. [J Exp Med] Abstract | Press Release

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Enhance Alpha-Synuclein Clearance via M2 Microglia Polarization in Experimental and Human Parkinsonian Disorder

Scientists investigated whether mesenchymal stem cells enhance the phagocytic clearance of alpha-synuclein via M2 microglia polarization, and thereby exert neuroprotective effects in alpha-synuclein-enriched experimental models and patients with multiple system atrophy. [Acta Neuropathol] Abstract

Direct Induction and Functional Maturation of Forebrain GABAergic Neurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Investigators identified a set of genetic factors that could robustly induce human pluripotent stem cells into gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons with high efficiency. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Enriched Retinal Ganglion Cells Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Researchers presented a 45-day protocol that utilizes magnetic activated cell sorting to generate an enriched population of retinal ganglion cells via stepwise retinal differentiation using human embryonic stem cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

A Protein Homeostasis Signature in Healthy Brains Recapitulates Tissue Vulnerability to Alzheimer’s Disease

Scientists reported a transcriptional analysis of healthy brains and identify an expression signature that predicts—at ages well before the typical onset—the tissue-specific progression of Alzheimer’s. [Science Advances] Full Article | Press Release

Adhesion G Protein-Coupled Receptors in Nervous System Development and Disease

The authors discuss the current understanding of adhesion G protein-coupled receptor functions during key steps in neural development, including cortical patterning, dendrite and synapse formation, and myelination. [Nat Rev Neurosci] Abstract

Lipocalin-2 as a Therapeutic Target for Brain Injury: An Astrocentric Perspective

Astrocytes secrete Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) to promote neuroinflammation. Studies using Lcn2 knockout animals and cultured neural cells suggest an important role of LCN2 in regulating the development of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke as well as other brain injuries. [Prog Neurobiol] Abstract

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DNAtrix Awarded FDA Orphan Products Development Grant for DNX-2401

DNAtrix announced the award of a $2 million research grant from the FDA’s Office of Orphan Products Development to support its Phase II clinical trial evaluating DNX-2401 with the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab for patients with recurrent glioblastoma. [DNAtrix] Press Release

Selvita Signs a Significant Collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco

Selvita Inc. has initiated a medicinal chemistry collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco. Within the scope of the project, Selvita will be responsible for the chemical synthesis, purification, structure determination, and purity analysis of small molecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. [Selvita Inc.] Press Release

Masitinib Receives from European Medicines Agency Orphan Drug Designation in the European Union for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

AB Science announced that the European Medicines Agency Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products granted orphan drug status to Masitinib product for the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. [AB Science] Press Release

$85 Million Grant Supports UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute

UC San Francisco’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute has received $85 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health to continue to provide training, research support and other services, and to launch new programs aimed at diversifying the patients in research and advancing precision medicine. [University of California San Francisco] Press Release

Beyond CRISPR: A Guide to the Many Other Ways to Edit a Genome

The zeal with which researchers jumped on a possible new gene-editing system called NgAgo earlier this year reveals an undercurrent of frustration with CRISPR–Cas9 — and a drive to find alternatives. “It’s a reminder of how fragile every new technology is,” says George Church, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. [Nature News] Editorial

The FDA Is Prohibited from Going Germline

A potentially renewable provision of the Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2016 forestalling the prospect of human germline modification was signed into law on December 18th, 2015. The provision has since been incorporated again into the House and Senate appropriation bills for the fiscal year. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

US Agency Lifts Ban on Funding Human–Animal Hybrids

Researchers in the United States will soon be able to resume creating chimaera-based projects. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW 2016 World Cancer Congress
October 31-November 3, 2016
Paris, France

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NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Sensorimotor Neuroscience (Western University)

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Neural Substrates of Taste-Guided Behaviors (University of Illinois)

NEW Faculty Positions – Neural Engineering (University of Pittsburgh)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology (Stanford University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Neuroscience (University of California Riverside)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Neuroscience/Stem Cell Biology (State University of New York)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Neuroscience (Max Planck Society)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Neural Stem Cell/Gene Therapy Research (Thomas Jefferson University)

Postdoctoral Position – Brain Injury and Repair (University of Pennsylvania)

Faculty Positions – Brain Research (IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Peking University)

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