Prof. Dr. Alexander Storch
Group Leader
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
Fetscherstr. 74
01307 Dresden
alexander.storch(at)dzne.de
+49 (0) 351 / 458-2532
+49 (0) 351 / 458-4352
More information
Areas of investigation/research focus
We are interested in the development of regenerative therapies for Parkinson’s disease with focus on stem-cell based therapies. We employ fetal tissue-specific neural stem cells, adult neural stem cells and stem cells from bone marrow to determine their behavior and potential. We explore basic stem cell biology by examining stem cell proliferation and differentiation into functional dompaminergic neurons. In particular, mechanisms that govern proliferation and fate specification of predopaminergic precursor cells are investigated. Studying adult neurogenesis in healthy and diseased conditions should identify possible targets for endogenous regeneration. In vivo studies should improve targeted dopaminergic reinnervation of the diseased nigrostriatal pathway using biopolymer assisted transplantation for stem cells.
Additionally we are interested in the development of new therapeutic approaches in Parkinson's disease and the characterization of non-motoric disturbances in movement disorders and their possible treatments. A focus is on cognitive disorders which we study using learning and memorytests with functional and innovative morphological imaging methods.
Publications
Rat embryonic fibroblasts improve reprogramming of human keratinocytes into induced pluripotent stem cells.
Linta L, Stockmann M, Kleinhans KN, Böckers A, Storch A, Zaehres H, Lin Q, Barbi G, Böckers TM, Kleger A, Liebau S. Stem Cells Dev. 2012 Apr 10;21(6):965-76. Epub 2011 Aug 5.
Direct Reprogramming of Fibroblasts into Neural Stem Cells by Defined Factors.
Han DW, Tapia N, Hermann A, Hemmer K, Höing S, Araúzo-Bravo MJ, Zaehres H, Wu G, Frank S, Moritz S, Greber B, Yang JH, Lee HT, Schwamborn JC, Storch A, Schöler HR. Cell Stem Cell. 2012 Apr 6;10(4):465-72. Epub 2012 Mar 22.
Differentiation Efficiency of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Depends on the Number of Reprogramming Factors.
Löhle M, Hermann A, Glaß H, Kempe A, Schwarz SC, Kim JB, Poulet C, Ravens U, Schwarz J, Schöler HR, Storch A. Stem Cells. 2012 Mar;30(3):570-579. doi: 10.1002/stem.1016.
Dopaminergic modulation of neural correlates of working memory in Parkinson’s Disease.
Kraft E, Binder E, Lulé D, Storch A, Gruber O. Article in Press. 2012 Mar. doi: 10.1016/j.baga.2012.01.003
Intrathecal application of autologous bone marrow cell preparations in parkinsonian syndromes.
Storch A, Csoti I, Eggert K, Henriksen T, Plate A, Lorrain M, Oertel WH, Antonini A. Mov Disord. 2012 Feb 23. doi: 10.1002/mds.24920. [Epub ahead of print]
AFQ056 treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesias: Results of 2 randomized controlled trials.
D Berg, J Godau, C Trenkwalder, K Eggert, I Csoti, A Storch, H Huber, M Morelli-Canelo, M Stamelou, V Ries, M Wolz, C Schneider, T Di Paolo, F Gasparini, S Hariry, M Vandemeulebroecke, W Abi-Saab, K Cooke, D Johns, B Gomez-Mancilla; Mov Disord. 2011 Jun;26(7):1243-50. doi: 10.1002/mds.23616. Epub 2011 Apr 11.
Levetiracetam for levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Wolz M, Löhle M, Strecker K, Schwanebeck U, Schneider C, Reichmann H, Grählert X, Schwarz J, Storch A, 2010, J. Neural Transm. 117(11): 1279-86
Physical exercise increases Notch activity, proliferation and cell cycle exit of type-3 progenitor cells in adult hippocampal neurogenesis
Brandt MD, Maass A, Kempermann G, Storch A, 2010, Eur. J. Neurosci. 32(8): 1256-64
Genome-wide expression profiling and functional network analysis upon neuroectodermal conversion of human mesenchymal stem cells suggest HIF-1 and miR-124a as important regulators
Maisel A, Habisch H-J, Royer L, Herr A, Milosevic J, Hermann A, Liebau S, Brenner R, Schwarz J, Schroeder M, Storch A, 2010, Exp. Cell Res. 316: 2760-2778
Directed growth of adult human white matter stem cell-derived neurons on aligned fibrillar collagen
Lanfer B, Hermann A, Kirsch M, Freudenberg U, Reuner U, Werner C, Storch A, 2010, Tissue Eng. 16(4): 1103-1113
A starPEG-heparin hydrogel platform for cell replacement therapies of neurodegenerative diseases
Freudenberg U, Hermann A, Welzel PB, Stirl K, Schwarz SC, Grimmer M, Zieris A, Panyanuwat W, Zschoche S, Meinhold D, Storch A, Werner C, 2009, Biomaterials 30(28): 5049-5060
Initiation of dopaminergic differentiation of mesencephalic precursor cells by interleukin-1β depends on activation of multiple MAP kinase pathways
Sabolek M, Baumann B, Heinrich M, Meyer AK, Herborg A, Liebau S, Maisel M, Hermann A, Herr A, Schwarz J, Wirth T, Storch A, 2009, Stem Cells 27(8): 2009-2021
Rostro-caudal gradual loss of cellular diversity within the periventricular regions of the ventricular system
Hermann A, Suess C, Fauser M, Kanzler S, Witt M, Fabel K, Schwarz J, Höglinger GU, Storch A, 2009, Stem Cells 27(4): 928-941
GLUT1 mutations are a cause of paroxysmal exertion-induced dyskinesias and induce hemolytic anemia by a cation leak
Weber YG$, Storch A$, Wuttke T$, Brockmann K, Kempfle J, Maljevic S, Margari L, Kamm C, Schneider SA, Huber SM, Pekrun A, Roebling R, Seebohm G, Koka S, Lang C, Kraft E, Blazevic D, Salvo-Vargas A, Fauler M, Mottaghy F, Münchau A, Edwards MJ, Presicci A, Margari F, Gasser T, Lang F, Bhatia KP, Lehmann-Horn F, Lerche H, 2008, J. Clin. Invest. 118(6): 2157-2168
Intrathecal application of neuroectodermally converted stem cells into a mouse model of ALS: Limited intraparenchymal migration and survival narrows therapeutic effects
Habisch H-J, Janowski M, Binder D, Kuzma-Kozakiewicz M, Widmann A, Habich A, Schwalenstöcker B, Hermann A, Brenner R, Lukomska B, Domanska-Janik K, Ludolph AC, Storch A, 2007, J. Neural Transm. 114(11): 1395-406
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on symptomatic effects of coenzyme Q10 in Parkinson’s disease
Storch A, Jost W, Vieregge P, Spiegel J, Greulich W, Durner J, Müller T, Kupsch A, Henningsen H, Oertel WH, Fuchs G, Kuhn W, Niklowitz P, Koch R, Herting B, Reichmann H, for the German Coenzyme Q10 Study Group, 2007, Arch. Neurol. 64: 938-944
Transcription profiling of adult and fetal human neuroprogenitors identifies divergent paths to maintain the neuroprogenitor cell state
Maisel M, Herr A, Milosevic J, Hermann A, Habisch H-J, Schwarz S, Kirsch M, Antoniadis G, Brenner R, Hallmeyer-Elgner S, Lerche H, Schwarz J, Storch A, 2007, Stem Cells 25(5): 1231-1240
Lack of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α impairs midbrain neural precursor cells involving vascular endothelial growth factor signalling
Milosevic J, Maisel M, Wegner F, Leuchtenberger J, Wenger RH, Storch A, Schwarz J, 2007, J. Neurosci. 27(2): 412-421
Mesodermal cell types induce neurogenesis from adult human hippocampal progenitor cells
Hermann A, Maisel M, Liebau S, Gerlach M, Kleger A, Schwarz J, Kim K-S, Antoniadis G, Lerche H, Storch A, 2006, J. Neurochem. 98: 629-640
Multipotent neural stem cells from the adult tegmentum with dopaminergic potential develop essential properties of functional neurons
Hermann A, Maisel M, Wegner F, Liebau S, Kim D-W, Gerlach M, Schwarz J, Kim K-S, Storch A, 2006, STEM CELLS 24: 949-964
Efficient generation of neural stem cell-like cells from adult human bone marrow stromal cells
Hermann A, Gastl R, Liebau S, Popa MO, Fiedler J, Böhm BO, Maisel M, Lerche H, Schwarz J, Brenner R, Storch A, 2004, J. Cell Sci. 117: 4411-4422
Long-term proliferation and dopaminergic differentiation of human mesencephalic neural precursor cells
Storch A, Paul G, Csete M, Boehm BO, Carvey PM, Kupsch A, Schwarz J, 2001, Exp. Neurol. 170: 317-325