This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to develop a novel cell therapy using adult stem cells to treat diseases of the central nervous system. A specific stem cell (CD34 "Lin") within adult bone marrow has been isolated that can be induced to express a neuronal phenotype and specifically home to the brain. This project hypothesizes that the multipotential nature of these cells will enable cell replacement and drug delivery therapies to treat diseases or injury of the nervous system, including Parkinson's and stroke. The Phase I project will address isolation and characterization, in vitro differentiation, and in vivo differentiation of CD34 "Lin" cells. The commercial application of this project is in human healthcare. The technology could lead to potential therapeutic treatments for devastating diseases such as Parkinson's disease, stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Each of these diseases represents a substantial number of patients and therefore, a substantial market opportunity. Furthermore, particularly for diseases such as stroke, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, there are few, if any alternative strategies currently available. Other cell therapies are being developed, but most of these are derived from fetal tissue or xenogeneic sources, which introduce safety or ethical concerns.
