In vivo survival and differentiation of Friedreich ataxia iPSC-derived sensory neurons transplanted in the adult dorsal root ganglia

To explore cell replacement therapies as a possible approach to treat Friedreich ataxia (FRDA), this study examined transplantation of sensory neural progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and FRDA induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) into adult rodent DRG regions. The data showed survival and differentiation of hESC and FRDA iPSC-derived progenitors in the DRG 2 and 8 weeks post-transplantation, respectively. Donor cells expressed neuronal markers, including sensory and glial markers, demonstrating differentiation to these lineages. These results are novel and a highly significant first step in showing the possibility of using stem cells as a cell replacement therapy to treat DRG neurodegeneration in FRDA as well as other peripheral neuropathies.

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