Cell therapy holds promise for CNS disorders. This is suggested by clinical benefits in some Parkinson's disease (PD) patients who received transplantation of human fetal mesencephalic tissues to replace degenerated midbrain dopamine (mDA) neurons. The ability to produce functional neurons efficiently from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) expands the prospect of cell therapy. However, cell therapy for many neurological conditions faces major hurdles. In particular, transplanted neurons often fail to reconstruct a functional circuit that is specific to lost function. In PD, DA neurons are often transplanted directly into the striatum, rather than their home location substantial nigra. Consequently, the grafted cells and their repaired circuit lose appropriate inputs for functional modulation. To address these critical issues, we will reconstruct the nigra-striatal circuit by cell transplantation to the nigra in a PD model mouse and determine if the grafted human mDA neurons project specifically to the striatum to form functional circuit and if the reconnection is sped up by regulating graft activity (Aim 1). Furthermore, we will explore to regulate the neural circuit repaired by transplanted cells by expressing active or inhibitory form of DREADD (designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug) in hPSCs so that the therapeutic outcomes may be refined (Aim 2). Information gained from this study will be instrumental for restoring and regulating neural circuitry in PD and other neurological conditions.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01NS096282-01A1
Application #
9235080
Study Section
Clinical Neuroplasticity and Neurotransmitters Study Section (CNNT)
Program Officer
Sutherland, Margaret L
Project Start
2016-12-15
Project End
2021-11-30
Budget Start
2016-12-15
Budget End
2017-11-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Wisconsin Madison
Department
Neurosciences
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
161202122
City
Madison
State
WI
Country
United States
Zip Code
53715
Li, Xiang; Tao, Yezheng; Bradley, Robert et al. (2018) Fast Generation of Functional Subtype Astrocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem Cell Reports 11:998-1008
Jones, Jeffrey R; Kong, Linghai; Hanna 4th, Michael G et al. (2018) Mutations in GFAP Disrupt the Distribution and Function of Organelles in Human Astrocytes. Cell Rep 25:947-958.e4
Qian, Kun; Huang, Hailong; Peterson, Andrew et al. (2017) Sporadic ALS Astrocytes Induce Neuronal Degeneration In Vivo. Stem Cell Reports 8:843-855
Vermilyea, Scott C; Guthrie, Scott; Meyer, Michael et al. (2017) Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Dopaminergic Neurons from Adult Common Marmoset Fibroblasts. Stem Cells Dev 26:1225-1235
Tao, Yunlong; Zhang, Su-Chun (2016) Neural Subtype Specification from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Cell Stem Cell 19:573-586