title: Induced neural stem/precursor cells for fundamental studies and potential application in neurodegenerative diseases.
abstract: Recent research has shown that defined sets of exogenous factors are sufficient to convert rodent and human somatic cells directly into induced neural stem cells or neural precursor cells (iNSCs/iNPCs). The process of transdifferentiation bypasses the step of a pluripotent state and reduces the risk of tumorigenesis and genetic instability while retaining the self-renewing capacity. This iNSC/iNPC technology has fueled much excitement in regenerative medicine, as these cells can be differentiated into target cells for re placement therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. Patients' somatic cell-derived iNSCs/iNPCs have also been proposed to serve as disease models with potential value in both fundamental studies and clinical applications. This review focuses on the mechanisms, techniques, and app lications of iNSCs/iNPCs from a series of related studies, as well as further efforts in designing novel strategies using iNSC/iNPC technology and its potential applications in neurodegenerative diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
authors.forename: Jiali
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China. brzhang@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Baorong
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054338:Cell Transdifferentiation; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods
keywords: clinical application; fundamental study; induced neural precursor cell; induced neural stem cell; neurodegenerative disease; transdifferentiation