Current Status and Future Strategies to Treat Spinal Cord Injury with Adult Stem Cells.

Current Status and Future Strategies to Treat Spinal Cord Injury with Adult Stem Cells. J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2019 Dec 06;: Authors: Jeong SK, Choi I, Jeon SR Abstract Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most devastating conditions and many SCI patients suffer neurological sequelae. Stem cell therapies are expected to be beneficial for many patients with central nervous system injuries, including SCI. Adult stem cells (ASCs) are not associated with the risks which embryonic stem cells have such as malignant transformation, or ethical problems, and can be obtained relatively easily. Consequently, many researchers are currently studying the effects of ASCs in clinical trials. The environment of transplanted cells applied in the injured spinal cord differs between the phases of SCI; therefore, many researchers have investigated these phases to determine the optimal time window for stem cell therapy in animals. In addition, the results of clinical trials should be evaluated according to the phase in which stem cells are transplanted. In general, the subacute phase is considered to be optimal for stem cell transplantation. Among various candidates of transplantable ASCs, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are most widely studied due to their clinical safety. MSCs are also less immunogenic than neural stem/progenitor cells and consequently immunosuppressants are rarely required. Attempts have been made to enhance the effects of stem cells ...
Source: Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society - Category: Neurosurgery Tags: J Korean Neurosurg Soc Source Type: research