Small Molecules That Promote Regeneration of Dopaminergic Neurons from Human Neural Stem Cells

For a better understanding of the signaling pathways that instruct neural precursor cells to differentiate into dopaminergic (DA) neurons (which are lost in the brain of Parkinson's Disease patients), and an improved ability to promote DA neuron differentiation, we propose to screen combinatorial chemical libraries in a high throughput fashion for small molecules that can permit precise regulation of adult neural stem cell fate toward functional DA neurons. The small molecules discovered in this study will provide useful chemical tools for better understanding of DA neuron differentiation, and may ultimately facilitate development of small molecule therapeutics to treat Parkinson's disease and stimulate DA neuron regeneration in vivo.