Human renal stem cells

• US 7,776,592 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UNM Rainforest Innovations (f/k/a STC.UNM) (The University of New Mexico)
• Original Assignee: UNM Rainforest Innovations (f/k/a STC.UNM) (The University of New Mexico)
• Inventors: Roitbak, Tamara, Romero, Elsa G, Wandinger-Ness, Angela
• Primary Examiner(s): SAJJADI, FEREYDOUN GHOTB
• Application Number:
  US11/469,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20070065942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 435/369, 435/347, 435/366, 424/93.2
• US Class Current: 435/369
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2502/02 embryonic cells
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2502/256 Renal cells
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 5/0687 Renal stem cells; Renal progenitors

Abstract

The present disclosure provides human renal stem cells. Also described are human renal stem cells isolated from the papillary region of the human kidney and methods of isolating the same. Also described are methods for culturing, characterizing, and differentiating the same, including methods for identifying human renal stem cells that are positive for Nestin and CD133, and methods for allowing the cells to differentiate into neurons.

Claims

1. Isolated human renal adult stem cells, where the human renal stem cells were isolated from only the papillary region of human kidney, wherein the renal adult stem cells are surface positive for CD133 and intracellular nestin.

2. The isolated human renal stem cells of claim 1 further comprising an exogenous polynucleotide.

3. The isolated human renal stem cells of claim 2 wherein the exogenous polynucleotide encodes a therapeutic agent.

4. The isolated human renal stem cells of claim 1 maintained in a heterologous culture with embryonic rodent kidney stem cells.

5. The isolated human renal stem cells of claim 1 wherein the in situ cells were localized only in the loops of Henle in the papillary region of human kidney.

6. The isolated human renal stem cells of claim 1 wherein the cells are capable of forming neurosphere-like structures.

7. The isolated human renal stem cells of claim 1 xenotranplanted beneath the rodent kidney capsule.

8. The isolated human renal stem cells of claim 5 wherein the rodent kidney capsule is from a rat or mouse.