Hypoxia-mediated neurogenesis

Abstract

Methods are described for the production of neurons or neuronal progenitor cells. Multipotent neural stem cells are proliferated in the presence of growth factors and erythropoietin which induces the generation of neuronal progenitor cells. The erythropoietin may be exogenously applied to the multipotent neural stem cells, or alternatively, the cells can be subjected to hypoxic insult which induces the cells to express erythropoietin.

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       6 . A method of treating a neurodegenerative disease or an acute brain injury in a mammal by producing neurons from multipotent neural stem cells comprising inducing said multipotent neural stem cells to differentiate into neurons in the presence of hypoxic conditions, wherein said differentiated cell population is enriched in neurons compared to cells that are not induced to differentiate in the presence of hypoxic conditions.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said cells are exposed to hypoxic conditions for between 1 and 8 hours.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the enriched differentiated population contains at least 6% neurons.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the source of said multipotent neural stem cells is a human.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the source of said multipotent neural stem cells is a fetal mammal.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said multipotent neural stem cells and/or progenitor cells which are derived from said multipotent neural stem cells are transplanted into said mammal.