Chapter 6 The therapeutic potential of exogenous adult stem cells for the injured central nervous system

Abstract:

The multimodal therapeutic properties of stem-cell therapies hold considerable promise for addressing the complex pathologies arising from damage to the central nervous system (CNS). Stem cells derived from embryonic or fetal sources are burdened with safety, practical, and ethical concerns, so there is considerable interest in stem cells that can be obtained from adult tissues. Transplantation of adult stem cells, be they of somatic origin (e.g., neural stem cells or mesenchymal stromal cells) or acquired through reprogramming of somatic cells (e.g., induced pluripotent stem cells), has been shown to yield myriad benefits at the molecular, anatomical, and functional levels in preclinical animal models of various CNS disorders. However, clinical translation has thus far been impeded by only modest efficacy outcomes in clinical trials, speaking to a need for greater consistency and controls in such studies. We provide a brief overview of adult stem cells and summarize the findings of their preclinical and clinical therapeutic applications in the injured CNS.