Culturing fetal precursor cells using free floating serum-free conditions.

The propagation of neural precursors in culture is an essential tool for the study of the signaling matrix that regulates their proliferation, self-renewal, and generation of terminally differentiated progeny. Neural precursors can be expanded in vitro using both adherent and non-adherent culture protocols. The culture of fetal human neural precursors in the absence of serum as free-floating clusters of cells termed neurospheres is described here.