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| Clive N. Svendsen
Professor
Anatomy and Neurobiology
Director, Stem Cell Research Program
Waisman Center
Office Phone: 608-265-8668
Lab Phone: N/A
Fax: 608-265-4103
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svendsen@waisman.wisc.edu |
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Research Description
Stem cells and Neurodegeneration
Interest in stem cell biology has exploded over the last few years. This is due to the remarkable possibilities they hold with regard to providing a source of tissues for in vitro studies, and repairing damaged tissues following disease or trauma. The Stem Cell Research Program is focused on (i) understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for their proliferation and differentiation and (ii) assess their safety and efficacy following transplantation.
Until recently the thought of repairing the damaged brain was inconceivable. We are born with a certain number of neurons, and then gradually lose them through aging or disease. Or at least that was the dogma. Challenging new research suggests that the brain may be far more "plastic" than we ever imagined. New cells are accepted and allowed to grow in the adult brain, replacing old ones. New neurons are born throughout life in some brain areas. Novel growth factors can act as "fertilizer" in the brain, encouraging sick and old neurons to regenerate and function again. The challenge now is to tap into this new image of the brain through innovative approaches to treating neurological disease.
We are committed to using alternative cellular sources through the generation of neural stem cells. We have extensive experience in the growth and differentiation of human neural stem cells. These are remarkably plastic and able to integrate into the developing, adult and injured brain. They also provide a unique "window" into human neural development, normally impossible to study in detail. Our labs use novel molecular and cellular techniques and detailed transplantation programs to assess function. In combination with the clinical biomanufaturing facility at the Waisman Center we are developing neural stem cell banks. We hope one day that the basic science might be moved forward to the clinic.
Recent Publications
M. A. Caldwell, X. He, N. Wilkie, S. Pollack, G. Marshall, K. A. Wafford, and C. N. Svendsen. Growth factors regulate the survival and fate of cells derived from human neurospheres. Nat.Biotechnol. 19 :475-479, 2001.
C. N. Svendsen and M. A. Caldwell. Neural stem cells in the developing central nervous system: implications for cell therapy through transplantation. Prog.Brain Res. 127:13-34, 2000.
T. Ostenfeld, M. A. Caldwell, K. R. Prowse, M. H. Linskens, E. Jauniaux, and C. N. Svendsen. Human Neural Precursor Cells Express Low Levels of Telomerase in Vitro and Show Diminishing Cell Proliferation with Extensive Axonal Outgrowth following Transplantation. Exp.Neurol. 164 :215-226, 2000.
C. N. Svendsen and A. G. Smith. New prospects for human stem-cell therapy in the nervous system. Trends Neurosci 22 :357-364, 1999.
F. Ciccolini and C. N. Svendsen. Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) promotes acquisition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) responsiveness in mouse striatal precursor cells: identification of neural precursors responding to both EGF and FGF-2. J.Neurosci 18:7869-7880, 1998.
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