Cb. Hurelbrink et al., Hibernated human fetal striatal tissue: Successful transplantation in a rat model of Huntington's disease, CELL TRANSP, 9(6), 2000, pp. 743-749
The use of fresh human fetal tissue in neural transplantation presents cons
iderable logistical difficulties and limits the clinical applicability of t
his promising therapy. This study compared the survival of human fetal stri
atal tissue that had been stored for 24 h in a defined hibernation medium w
ith that of fresh human fetal striatal tissue following xenotransplantation
in a rat model of Huntington's disease (HD). Six to 7 weeks postgrafting.
there was no significant difference between fresh and hibernated grafts in
volume or in various striatal phenotypic markers, although there was a tren
d towards decreased graft volume. We conclude that short-term hibernation o
f this tissue is without significant adverse effects on the survival of gra
fted human fetal striatal tissue. This has important implications for the p
ractical implementation of clinical neural transplant programs in HD.