Hair follicle nestin-expressing stem cells on a scaffold for nerve repair

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Nestin-expressing stem cells of the hair follicle, discovered by our laboratory (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2003; 100:9658-61[1]), have been shown by our laboratory to be able to form neurons and other non-follicle cell types (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2005; 102:5530-4 [2]). Our laboratory has shown that the nestin-expressing stem cells from the hair follicle can effect repair of the peripheral nerve (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2005;102:17734-8 [3]) and spinal cord injury (Cell Cycle 2008; 7:1865-9 [4] and Cell Cycle 10, 830-839, 2011 [5]). Transgenic mice, in which the nestin promoter drives GFP (ND-GFP), were used to characterize the nestin-expressing hair follicle. The cells have very long processes extending from them as shown by confocal microscopy and differentiate into neuronal cells at high frequency as well as into multiple other non-hair follicle cells in vitro. The hair follicle sem cells differentiate into neuronal and glial cells after transplantation to the injured