LONG-TERM CELL CULTURE COMPOSITIONS AND GENETICALLY MODIFIED ANIMALS DERIVED THEREFROM

摘要

The present invention generally relates to neural stem cells, preferably foetal neural stem cells and their progeny thereof. The present invention provides methods of isolating, culturing and propagating neural stem cells preferably foetal neural stem cells and hte development of neural stem cell lines and lineages. The present invention also relates to the use of neural stem cells and somatic cells (eg rat fetal fibroblasts) and cells expressing the telomerase catalytic component (TERT) for gene targeting and gene knockup experiments and for producing genetically modified animals.In a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a cellular composiiton comprising one or more cells having a property characteristic of a neural stem cell and wherein said neural stem cell is capble of long term culture. Preferably the cells have a property characteristic of a foetal neural stem cell. In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of producing an animal, said method comprising introducing a continuously growing donor cells nucleus from a continuously growing donor cell into an oocyte or embryo and allowing the resulting embryo to mature and to preferably develop to a foetus or an adult animal.