| Title of PI | Development and validation of functional cell therapies for Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases |
| Title | Forname | Surname | Institution | Country |
| Professor | Stephen | Dunnett | Cardiff University | UK |
| Institution | Cardiff University |
| Street Address | Cardiff School of Biosciences, Life Sciences Building, Museum Avenue |
| City | Cardiff |
| Postcode | CF10 3AX |
- United Kingdom
Medical Research Council
1867100.12
01-02-2006
60
- Parkinson’s disease
- Huntington’s disease
The UK is taking an international lead in developing stem cells for cell-based therapy applicable to a broad range of diseases. However, for these new sources of cells to come to effective application in the clinic requires that they are first evaluated and validated for specificity and functional potential in appropriate model systems, both in vitro and in vivo.
The proposed project establishes quality-controlled processing of cells in vitro, determines optimal dissection, preparation handling and transplantation protocols, develops the experimental models for functional analysis, and refines our understanding of the theoretical principles and mechanisms of function for application of cell-based therapies in two specific human neurodegenerative diseases, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s. The programme sustains a centre of expertise developing the quality-controlled facilities necessary to progress specific cell sources (fetal now, expanded progenitors imminently, and stem cells in the foreseeable future) to clinical application rapidly and efficiently.
- Basic research