TY - JOUR T1 - Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cell Transplants Remyelinate and Restore Locomotion after Spinal Cord Injury JF - The Journal of Neuroscience JO - J. Neurosci. SP - 4694 LP - 4705 DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0311-05.2005 VL - 25 IS - 19 AU - Hans S. Keirstead AU - Gabriel Nistor AU - Giovanna Bernal AU - Minodora Totoiu AU - Frank Cloutier AU - Kelly Sharp AU - Oswald Steward Y1 - 2005/05/11 UR - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/25/19/4694.abstract N2 - Demyelination contributes to loss of function after spinal cord injury, and thus a potential therapeutic strategy involves replacing myelin-forming cells. Here, we show that transplantation of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) into adult rat spinal cord injuries enhances remyelination and promotes improvement of motor function. OPCs were injected 7 d or 10 months after injury. In both cases, transplanted cells survived, redistributed over short distances, and differentiated into oligodendrocytes. Animals that received OPCs 7 d after injury exhibited enhanced remyelination and substantially improved locomotor ability. In contrast, when OPCs were transplanted 10 months after injury, there was no enhanced remyelination or locomotor recovery. These studies document the feasibility of predifferentiating hESCs into functional OPCs and demonstrate their therapeutic potential at early time points after spinal cord injury. ER -