Reprogramming of human somatic cells into induced neural stem cells via mRNA reprogramming

Unique properties of stem cells self-renewal as well as differentiation into multiple cell types make them an attractive approach for developing clinical therapies for human neurodegenerative disorders. It is demonstrated that postnatal central nervous system (CNS) harbors adult stem cells called neural stem cells (NSCs). These cells are isolated and characterized in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, therapeutical potential of NSCs has been successfully described. However, its clinical use is limited due to their restricted accessibility and potential immune rejection from their allogenic application. But, recent advances in cell reprogramming, particularly direct conversion of somatic cells into pluripotent or multipotent stem cells offer an attractive alternative with regard to regenerative therapies. The purpose of this project is to generate induced neural stem cells via synthetic mRNA reprogramming strategy.