The Importance of CNS Stem Cells in Development and Disease

Work from our group played an important role in the early period when stem cells of the central nervous system were first defined (McKay 1997). Our recent work contributes to understanding three fundamental processes in the developing nervous system: 1) cell cycle control (Tsai and McKay 2002), 2) the control of cell fate (Panchision et al. 2001) and 3) the early steps in neuronal differentiation (Blondel et al. 2000; Vicario-Abejon et al. 2001; Collin et al. 2001). Work on CNS stem cells has developed to a stage where there are also clinical implications. Recent advances in the application of stem cell biology to Parkinson’s disease clearly demonstrate the potential importance of a strong scientific foundation in the use of stem cells in models of neuronal loss or injury (Studer et al 1998,2000; Lee et al. 2000; Sanchez-Pernaute et al. 2001; Kim et al. 2002). The potential of these methods is demonstrated by our contributions in other areas, for example in glial transplantation (Brustle et al. 1999), adult neurogenesis (Cameron and McKay 1999, 2001) and endocrine pancreatic differentiation Lumelsky et al. 2001). We study both stem cells and the early functions of neurons because we believe that the functional analysis of differentiating neurons is the best measure of the potential of a stem cell. It is also our view that new knowledge of both stem cell biology and neuronal differentiation is essential to fulfill the clinical potential of this field.