Knowing that stem cells can differentiate into multiple cell types or all cells of the body (depending on their origin), transplantation of stem cells into an adult brain has been proposed as a future therapy for neurodegenerative diseases.
In each type of neurodegenerative disease (Hunnington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS), there are many different cell types involved in their pathology, thus, different types of neurons are required for replacement.
This article http://celleng.sjtu.edu.cn/pic/xq19.pdf analyzes many neurodegenerative diseases and their potential for stem cell therapy. They show the challenges in the way for stem cell therapy, for we need to know how to pattern stem cells to obtain a more complete repertoire of various cell types for replacement. How are stem-cell-derived neurons integrated into an adult brain’s existing neural and synaptic network? How can we modify stem cells appropriately to treat a particular disease?
To identify the self-repair mechanisms of the brain, we’ll require a new technology for genetically labeling stem cell progeny. The hope is this knowledge will allow us to figure out a strategy to deliver new molecules that can yield functional neurons/cells in damaged areas.
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I've heard the things before. Have you heard stem cell transplant for optic nerve hypoplasia? Optic nerve hypoplasia is a degenerative disorder and as the name shows, optic nerve didn't grow enough during mom's pregnancy; so they can't see. The hypothesis to use stem cell transplant is same as those you listed. It is NOT (of course) FDA approved nor approved by insurance, but I actually know a baby who traveled to China to receive the treatment. Too early to tell the results but my friend (a grand father of the baby) even met a girl who received the procedure years ago and recently received a driver's license!
ReplyDeleteBecause I know the family well, I try to find literature but I couldn't. Most of those are more blog or commentaries, so I am not sure if it's safe or what could be the adverse events...