Start of funding 01.01.2009

Neurogenic potential of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from Parkinson disease (PD) patients

Prof. Dr. med. Jürgen Winkler
Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Division of Molecular Neurology

Prof. Dr. Fred. H. Gage
University of California, San Diego
Salk Institute for Biological Sciences



The generation of pluripotent stem cells for cellular treatment of neurodegenerative diseases raises hopes that in the future a regenerative treatment option may be available for patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer disease. Recently, two independent groups demonstrated that bye the use of specific transcription factors adult human fibroblasts can be modified to generate pluripotent human cell lines from adult individuals that can be differentiated into neurons without usage of an embryo. We aim to study these inducible pluripotent stem cells from fibroblasts of clinically well characterized Parkinson’s disease patients and their ability to differentiate into functional neurons. This project, bringing together clinical and basic research will be the initiation of a cooperation between the Divison of Molecular Neurology, University of Erlangen, Bavaria and the Laboratory of Genetics, Salk Institute, La Jolla, California.