SCREENING ASSAY

摘要

The present invention relates to a method of screening a candidate agent for the ability to stimulate differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) comprising i) contacting a cell with a candidate agent in the presence of a non-toxic amount of a cell division inhibitor and ii) determining if the candidate agent induces differentiation of the cell, wherein the OPC is a cell characterised as being capable of proliferating indefinitely. The invention further relates to candidate agents identified by the screening methods of the invention. Also included are methods of treating patients who suffer from or who are predisposed to suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or other demyelinating disorders.