METHOD FOR HIGHLY EFFICIENT CONVERSION OF HUMAN STEM CELLS TO LINEAGE-SPECIFIC NEURONS

摘要

The present invention relates to the field of stem cells. More specifically, the present invention provides methods and compositions useful for the highly efficient conversion of human stem cells to lineage-specific neurons. In a specific embodiment, a method of inducing differentiation of human stem cells into dopaminergic (DA) neurons comprises the steps of (a) transfecting human stem cells with a lentiviral vector encoding Atoh1, wherein the vector is Dox inducible; and (b) growing the transfected cells in culture in the presence of Dox, Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) and FGF-8b until DA neurons are induced.