The NEUROSTEMCELL ('European consortium for stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative disease') project, which investigates in maximising prospects for successful clinical trials of stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases, has made many progress so far and at the same time it is considering the regulatory, ethical and societal issues linked to the use of stem cells for therapy.

The NEUROSTEMCELL ('European consortium for stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative disease') project, a solid cooperation between experimental and clinical researchers, is maximising prospects for successful clinical trials of stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's and Parkinson's. The project is supported under the Health Theme of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to the tune of €11.9 million. The European Commission also supports other projects which are investigating with stem cells, such as the one which is carrying by Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland and the University of Edinburgh.

The latest development achieved by this project consisted in a novel strategy for the efficient transformation of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) into dopamine-producing neurons. These neurons can be implanted into animals where they show 'robust performance' by establishing new connections and achieving long-term survival. The outcome is advancement in the use of PSCs, helping develop new therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

The objective of the NEUROSTEMCELL project is developing safe and validated cells and clinical grade reagents (specifically for dopaminergic and striatal neurons that may be transplanted into patients) to be used in clinical trials and eventually also in drug discovery is the ultimate objective. It is led by Professor Elena Cattaneo at the Università degli Studi di Milano in Italy, the NEUROSTEMCELL consortium comprises 13 research institutions and 3 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 6 EU Member States as well as the United States.

As a second objective, the team is establishing ethical and safety criteria for guiding implementation of stem cell therapies in the clinic, and is also developing an interface with bio-industry and a product-specific regulatory strategy that is compatible with a future marketing authorization. The NEUROSTEMCELL partners are also providing information to both patient groups and laypersons about advances in the field, and about what steps will be taken to ensure success.