Neural stem cells (NSCs), with the potential to self-renew and to differentiate into neurons and glial cells, have been isolated from different regions of the developing and adult brain (1 - 6). NSCs can be grown in vitro, in the presence of mitogen, as either monolayer cultures on an adhesive substrate or as free floating spherical aggregates termed 'neurospheres. These in vitro propagated NSCs can proliferate in culture while retaining the potency to differentiate into neurons, oligodendrocytes and glia. in vitro NSC expansion makes it possible to grow sufficient numbers of NSCs for researchers to study basic developmental biology, drug discovery and preclinical neural transplantation.

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2. McKay, R.D. (1997) Science 276:66.
3. Reynolds, B.A. et al. (1992) Science 255:1707.
4. Johansson, C.B. et al. (1999) Cell 96:25.
5. Kilpatrick, T.J. et al. (1993) Neuron 10:255.
6. Davis, A.A. et al. (1994) Nature 372:263.

Neural Stem Cell Expansion Kits SC002 & SC005 are suitable for a monolayer culture model, and Neural Stem Cell Expansion Kit SC003 is for a neurosphere culture model.