Method for preparation of induced dopaminergic progenitors using direct reprogramming

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for preparing induced dopaminergic neuronal progenitors (iDPs) comprising inducing an expression of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc genes in adult cells and direct reprogramming of the adult cells to the iDPs by treating the cells with sonic hedgehog (SHH) and fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8); and a cell therapy product and a composition for treating or preventing Parkinson's Disease (PD) which comprises the iDPs as active ingredients. In addition to this, the present invention relates to a method for preparing midbrain dopaminergic neurons comprising isolating NSC-like colony by culturing the iDPs, dissociating the isolated NSC-like colony, and culturing the cells on the neural cell differentiation medium. Further, the present invention relates to a method for treating PD or a method for screening medicine for preventing or treating PD using the cells of the present invention. The progenitors prepared by the method for preparing the iDPs of the present invention can be widely used in the known art since the neuronal progenitors have significantly higher efficiency in differentiating to the dopaminergic neurons compared to conventional methods and lack side effects such as immunogenicity and ethical issues because patients' own somatic cells can be used.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.