In vitro-differentiated retinal ganglion cells and method for producing same
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorLeonard Levin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In vitro-differentiated retinal ganglion cells can be produced by exposing a mammalian retinal ganglion cell line to a protein kinase inhibitor. The differentiated retinal ganglion cells can be used to identify agents that protect retinal ganglion cells in vivo or in vitro from cell injury (including cell death) and agents that affect retinal ganglion cell ion channel activity.
Claims16
A method for obtaining in vitro-differentiated retinal ganglion cells (RGC), the method comprising the step of:
- exposing cells of a mammalian RGC cell line to an amount of a protein kinase inhibitor sufficient to differentiate the cells,
- wherein the differentiated cells exhibit at least one feature selected from the group consisting of (1) a cell division rate substantially lower than that of the RGC cell line, (2) a number of neurites per cell higher, on average, than that of the RGC cell line, and (3) expression of one or more ion channels higher than that of the RGC cell line.
An in vitro-differentiated retinal ganglion cell (RGC) that exhibits at least one feature selected from the group consisting of (i) a cell division rate substantially lower than that of an RGC cell line, (2) a number of neurites per cell higher, on average, than that of the RGC cell line, and (3) expression of one or more ion channels higher than that of the RGC cell line.
A method for identifying an agent that protects retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from cell injury, the method comprising the steps of:
- exposing in vitro-differentiated RGCs to a candidate agent;
- inducing a cell injury in the exposed differentiated RGCs and in control differentiated RGCs not exposed to the candidate agent;
- comparing the extent of injury to the exposed RGCs and to the control RGCs;
- and
- identifying an agent that induces less injury in the exposed RGCs than in the control RGCs as an agent that can protect the RGCs
A method for identifying an agent that can affect ion channel activity of in vitro-differentiated retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the method comprising the steps of:
- comparing an ion channel activity in differentiated RGCs exposed to a candidate agent and in control differentiated RGCs not exposed to the candidate agent;
- and
- identifying an agent that affects the ion channel activity in the exposed RGCs relative to the control RGCs as an activity-affecting agent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.