| abstract |
The present invention relates to the field of stem cell biology, in particular, to the lineage-specific differentiation of pluripotent or pluripotent stem cells, which may include, but are not limited to, in addition to non-embryonic human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) In addition to human embryonic stem cells (hESC), adult stem cells, stem cells from a patient with a disease or any other stem cell capable of lineage-specific differentiation. Specifically, a method is described to guide the lineage-specific differentiation of hESC and/or hiPSC into floor plate midbrain progenitors, which are then further differentiated into large numbers of midbrain fate FOXA2+LMX1A+TH+dopamine (DA) neurons using novel culture conditions. The midbrain outcome FOXA2+LMX1A+TH+dopamine (DA) neurons generated using the methods of the present invention are further contemplated for a variety of uses including, but not limited to, use in in vitro drug discovery assays, neurological research, and As a therapeutic agent for disease reversal or damage or deficiency of dopamine neurons in patients. Furthermore, compositions and methods are provided for differentiating midbrain outcome FOXA2+LMX1A+TH+dopamine (DA) neurons from human pluripotent stem cells for disease modeling, particularly Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, bona fide DA neurons are enriched for markers such as CD 142 and A9 type neuronal cells. |