Somatix Therapy Corporation

Dennis H Spector

Barbara D Boss

This invention is based on the development of procedures for isolation and proliferation of neuron progenitor cells and is directed to growth, storage, production and implantation of proliferated neuron progenitor cells. The isolation and culture methods are designed to proliferate mammalian ventral mesencephalon neuron progenitor cells in vitro to produce a culture which differentiates to produce dopamine-producing cells. The products of this invention include a culture containing neuron progenitor cells, preferably, grown as aggregates in suspension cultures. The process of this invention for preparing neuron progenitor cells comprises obtaining ventral mesencephalon tissue from a donor at the appropriate stage of embryonic development; dissociation of the tissue to obtain single cells and small cell clusters for culture; culturing the neuron progenitor cells in an initial culture medium which selects for a novel cell culture containing neuron progenitor cells and growing the cells for a period of time in a second medium, during which the neuron progenitor cells proliferate.

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Oakland, CA, United States of America

Dennis H Spector