Human neural stem cells in vitro. A focus on their isolation and perpetuation

Because of their ability to generate all the cell types in the nervous syst em, neural stem cells are promising candidates for the development of cellu lar and genetic therapies for nervous system disorders and, in particular, neurodegenerative diseases. In recent years, researchers have discovered wa ys of expanding and perpetuating these cells in culture, as well as differe nt sources for these tissue-specific stem cells, ranging from embryonic to adult tissue, and also from human pluripotent stem cells. Current efforts a re oriented to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling th eir fate decisions, their genetic engineering, and how to harness their pot ential to make them useful from a therapeutic point of view. (C) 2001 Editi ons scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.