Over the last decade, advances in neural stem cell research have raised the hope that one day cellular therapy will not only replace missing neurons, but also replenish absent chemical signals, metabolites, enzymes, neurotransmitters, or other missing or defective components from the diseased or injured brain. In Neural Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols, internationally recognized experts from academic, clinical, and pharmaceutical laboratories describe in great detail the most frequently used cellular, molecular, and electrophysiological methods to isolate, characterize, and utilize neural stem cells. These readily reproducible techniques introduce the various sources of stem/progenitor cells, provide a wide range of conditions for their culture, and make it possible to define their properties in culture. Additional techniques are designed to help researchers identify endogenous stem cells as well as exogenous stem cells after transplantation in the brain. The protocols range from the simplest methods of isolation and characterization of neural cell properties to such very sophisticated methods as characterizing gene expression, telomerase assays, and cell cycle kinetics. Each is written by an investigator who has used the method extensively, and includes step-by-step instructions, tips on avoiding pitfalls, and invaluable notes that make all the difference to successful experimental outcomes.
Comprehensive and easy-to-follow, Neural Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols provides a powerful synthesis of today's key in vitro and in vivo techniques to identify and characterize neural stem cells for research and for developing experimental therapeutics.