METHOD FOR THE FUNCTIONAL IDENTIFICATION OF NEW NEURONS, NEURAL PROGENITORS, ASTROCYTES AND IMMATURE CELLS FROM STEM CELL CULTURES AND USES THEREOF

摘要

The present invention relates to a method for the functional identification of new neurons, neural progenitors, astrocytes and immature cells from stem cell cultures and pharmacological characterization of different cell types differentiating from stem cell cultures comprising the steps of : a) stimulating said stem cells cultures with compounds able to increase the intracellular calcium concentrations specifically in neurons, b) stimulating said stem cells cultures with compounds able to increase the intracellular calcium concentration specifically in immature and neural progenitor cells, c) monitoring intracellular calcium concentrations by the use of a probe, and d) and using ratios of fluorescence values following stimulations to the direct evaluation of the level of differentiation of cells. The invention refers also to the use of the method of the invention in laboratorial or pharmacological studies, for example on undifferentiated nestin positive cells, GFAP positive nest in negative astrocytes, doublecortin positive neuroblasts, MAP-2 positive neurons, in different stages of differentiation.