ABSTRACT
Correspondence: Raymond D.Lund, Institute of Ophthalmology, Neural Transplant Program, Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK; Tel: +44 171 608 6893; Fax: +44 171 608 6881; Email: r.lund@ucl.ac.uk
INTRODUCTION
The foundations of developmental neurobiology owe much to the application of cell and tissue transplantation technology to nonmammalian vertebrate systems. Transplantation of tissue to the central nervous system (CNS) of mammals was first attempted in the latter part of the nineteenth century (Thompson, 1890) and several isolated studies were subsequently reported. It was not until the 1970s, however, that a concerted effort was made to use this approach to address a variety of questions regarding the mammalian brain and associated structures (Das and Altman, 1971; Lund and Hauschka, 1976; Bjorklund and Stenevi, 1977, 1979). Major emphasis has been given to the problems of development and repair, but many other issues such as molecular interactions among nerve cells, immune responses in the CNS, information processing, and the role of trophic factors have proven amenable to transplantation techniques.
