scholarly journals Disease-Modifying Drugs and Stem Cell Therapies for the Treatment of Myelin Degeneration due to Multiple Sclerosis

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Darren Ioos ◽  
◽  
Vincent Gallicchio ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Stem Cell ◽  
Signal Propagation ◽  
Stem Cell Therapies ◽  
Disease Modifying Drugs ◽  
Cell Therapies ◽  
Differentiated Cells ◽  
Pns Myelin ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri

Myelin, a modified plasma membrane wrapped around axons, is an essential part of signal propagation in the nervous system. Formed by oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS) and Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), myelin lowers the amount of energy needed to send or receive signals. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune, hyperinflammatory disease that attacks the nervous system, specifically myelin. MS is characterized by three types of lesions in the brain and along the blood brain barrier, making it very difficult to diagnose through conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and even more difficult to treat. It has an unpredictable pathophysiology that cannot be cured by current drug therapies. Stem cell therapies have been heavily researched in recent years to try to combat the autoimmune disease by stopping demyelination and recovering lost function through the regeneration of differentiated cells

scholarly journals Immunological Barriers to Stem Cell Therapy in the Central Nervous System

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory E. Tullis ◽  
Kathleen Spears ◽  
Mark D. Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Stem Cell ◽  
Cell Therapy ◽  
Stem Cell Therapy ◽  
Brain Disorders ◽  
Stem Cell Therapies ◽  
Cell Therapies ◽  
Cell Transplants ◽  
The Central Nervous System

The central nervous system is vulnerable to many neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease that result in the extensive loss of neuronal cells. Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into many types of cells, which make them ideal for treating such disorders. Although stem cell therapy has shown some promising results in animal models for many brain disorders it has yet to translate into the clinic. A major hurdle to the translation of stem cell therapy into the clinic is the immune response faced by stem cell transplants. Here, we focus on immunological and related hurdles to stem cell therapies for central nervous system disorders.

scholarly journals Stem Cell Therapies for Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayden A. Smith ◽  
Alexandra M. Nicaise ◽  
Rosana-Bristena Ionescu ◽  
Regan Hamel ◽  
Luca Peruzzotti-Jametti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Stem Cell ◽  
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Chronic Inflammatory Disease ◽  
Disease Course ◽  
Stem Cell Therapies ◽  
Cell Therapies ◽  
Biological Targets ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
Regenerative Medicines

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by demyelination and axonal degeneration. MS patients typically present with a relapsing-remitting (RR) disease course, manifesting as sporadic attacks of neurological symptoms including ataxia, fatigue, and sensory impairment. While there are several effective disease-modifying therapies able to address the inflammatory relapses associated with RRMS, most patients will inevitably advance to a progressive disease course marked by a gradual and irreversible accrual of disabilities. Therapeutic intervention in progressive MS (PMS) suffers from a lack of well-characterized biological targets and, hence, a dearth of successful drugs. The few medications approved for the treatment of PMS are typically limited in their efficacy to active forms of the disease, have little impact on slowing degeneration, and fail to promote repair. In looking to address these unmet needs, the multifactorial therapeutic benefits of stem cell therapies are particularly compelling. Ostensibly providing neurotrophic support, immunomodulation and cell replacement, stem cell transplantation holds substantial promise in combatting the complex pathology of chronic neuroinflammation. Herein, we explore the current state of preclinical and clinical evidence supporting the use of stem cells in treating PMS and we discuss prospective hurdles impeding their translation into revolutionary regenerative medicines.

scholarly journals Biomaterial Strategies to Bolster Neural Stem Cell-Mediated Repair of the Central Nervous System

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Giancarlo Tejeda ◽  
Andrew J. Ciciriello ◽  
Courtney M. Dumont
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Stem Cell ◽  
Stem Cell Transplant ◽  
Cell Transplant ◽  
Stem Cell Therapies ◽  
Cell Therapies ◽  
Transplant Survival ◽  
The Central Nervous System

Stem cell therapies have the potential to not only repair, but to regenerate tissue of the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies demonstrate that transplanted stem cells can differentiate into neurons and integrate with the intact circuitry after traumatic injury. Unfortunately, the positive findings described in rodent models have not been replicated in clinical trials, where the burden to maintain the cell viability necessary for tissue repair becomes more challenging. Low transplant survival remains the greatest barrier to stem cell-mediated repair of the CNS, often with fewer than 1–2% of the transplanted cells remaining after 1 week. Strategic transplantation parameters, such as injection location, cell concentration, and transplant timing achieve only modest improvements in stem cell transplant survival and appear inconsistent across studies. Biomaterials provide researchers with a means to significantly improve stem cell transplant survival through two mechanisms: (1) a vehicle to deliver and protect the stem cells and (2) a substrate to control the cytotoxic injury environment. These biomaterial strategies can alleviate cell death associated with delivery to the injury and can be used to limit cell death after transplantation by limiting cell exposure to cytotoxic signals. Moreover, it is likely that control of the injury environment with biomaterials will lead to a more reliable support for transplanted cell populations. This review will highlight the challenges associated with cell delivery in the CNS and the advances in biomaterial development and deployment for stem cell therapies necessary to bolster stem cell-mediated repair.

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