Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41576940›Full record

ArticleStem cell reports2026

Human iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells rescue motor function and brain pathology in symptomatic Canavan disease mice.

Natasha Jackson, Lizhao Feng, Jianfei Chao, Peng Ye, Qui Luong, Kayla Galo, Guihua Sun, Weidong Hu, Yanhong Shi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Stem cell reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Natasha JacksonDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
Lizhao FengDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010, USA; Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P.R. China.
Jianfei ChaoDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
Peng YeDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
Qui LuongDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
Kayla GaloDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
Guihua SunDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
Weidong HuDepartment of Immunology and Theranostics, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
Yanhong ShiDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, 1500 E. Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010, USA. Electronic address: yshi@coh.org.

Funding

A Human iPSC-based Cell Therapy for Canavan DiseaseU01NS122101 · NINDS · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI SHI, YANHONG · 2021 to 2023
$5.3M
NCI NIH HHS P30CA33572NINDS NIH HHS U01 NS122101
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Canavan disease (CD) is a severe neurodegenerative disorder caused by aspartoacylase (ASPA) deficiency, leading to N-acetyl-L-aspartic acid (NAA) accumulation and spongy degeneration. While several therapeutic candidates improve outcomes in CD mouse models when delivered before symptom onset, there remains a need for treatments targeting established disease pathology. Here, we demonstrate that transplantation with human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) expressing a functional ASPA gene (ASPA iNPCs) can rescue disease manifestations in symptomatic CD (Nur7) mice. When administered at postnatal day 21 (P21), ASPA iNPCs successfully engrafted, differentiated into neural lineage cells, and restored ASPA activity as revealed by reduced NAA level. Transplanted mice showed a significant reduction in brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) NAA levels, decreased vacuolation across multiple brain regions, improved myelination, and enhanced motor function 6-month post-transplantation. Our findings demonstrate that ASPA iNPC transplantation can effectively reverse established CD pathology, suggesting therapeutic potential for treating symptomatic patients.

Indexed as

BrainCanavan DiseaseInduced Pluripotent Stem CellsMotor ActivityNeural Stem CellsAmidohydrolasesAnimalsAspartic AcidCell DifferentiationDisease Models, AnimalHumansMiceStem Cell TransplantationAmidohydrolasesAspartic AcidaspartoacylaseN-acetylaspartateCanavan diseasecell therapydemyelinating diseasesinduced pluripotent stem cellsiPSCsneural progenitor cellsNPCsstem cell therapysymptomatic

Identifiers

PMID41576940
PMCPMC12903093

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.