A23: The role of oxygen-sensitive signaling pathways in dopaminergic neurogenesis

Project leader: Prof. Dr. A. Storch

We are interested in the development of regenerative therapies for Parkinson’s disease with focus on stem-cell based therapies. We employ fetal tissue-specific neural stem cells, adult neural stem cells and stem cells from bone marrow to determine their behavior and potential. We explore basic stem cell biology by examining stem cell proliferation and differentiation into functional dompaminergic neurons. In particular, mechanisms that govern proliferation and fate specification of predopaminergic precursor cells are investigated. Studying adult neurogenesis in healthy and diseased conditions should identify possible targets for endogenous regeneration. In vivo studies should improve targeted dopaminergic reinnervation of the diseased nigrostriatal pathway using biopolymer assisted transplantation fo stem cells.