The present invention provides methods, compounds and kits for increasing the viability of cells. The methods involve treating cells that make up a tissue graft with erythropoietin before, during or after delivery or administration. The method can employ cells of different types, including cells of neural or paraneural origin, such as adrenal chromaffin cells. Also useful are cell lines grown in vitro. Cells not of neural or paraneural origin, such as fibroblasts, may also be used following genetic alteration to express a desired neural product such as a neurotransmitter or a neuronal growth factor. The method is used to treat neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, epilepsy, and traumatic brain or spinal cord injury.