Filling the Gap: Neural Stem Cells as A Promising Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury
1
Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
2
ICVS/3B’s—PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Pharmaceuticals 2019, 12(2), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph12020065
Received: 12 March 2019
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Revised: 15 April 2019
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Accepted: 23 April 2019
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Published: 29 April 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutics Agents for Neural Repair)
Spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to severe motor, sensory and social impairments having a huge impact on patients’ lives. The complex and time-dependent SCI pathophysiology has been hampering the development of novel and effective therapies. Current treatment options include surgical interventions, to stabilize and decompress the spinal cord, and rehabilitative care, without providing a cure for these patients. Novel therapies have been developed targeting different stages during trauma. Among them, cell-based therapies hold great potential for tissue regeneration after injury. Neural stem cells (NSCs), which are multipotent cells with inherent differentiation capabilities committed to the neuronal lineage, are especially relevant to promote and reestablish the damaged neuronal spinal tracts. Several studies demonstrate the regenerative effects of NSCs in SCI after transplantation by providing neurotrophic support and restoring synaptic connectivity. Therefore, human clinical trials have already been launched to assess safety in SCI patients. Here, we review NSC-based experimental studies in a SCI context and how are they currently being translated into human clinical trials.
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Keywords:
spinal cord injury; cell-based therapies; induced pluripotent stem cells; neural stem cells; clinical trials
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MDPI and ACS Style
Pereira, I.M.; Marote, A.; Salgado, A.J.; Silva, N.A. Filling the Gap: Neural Stem Cells as A Promising Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury. Pharmaceuticals 2019, 12, 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph12020065
AMA Style
Pereira IM, Marote A, Salgado AJ, Silva NA. Filling the Gap: Neural Stem Cells as A Promising Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury. Pharmaceuticals. 2019; 12(2):65. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph12020065
Chicago/Turabian StylePereira, Inês M., Ana Marote, António J. Salgado, and Nuno A. Silva. 2019. "Filling the Gap: Neural Stem Cells as A Promising Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury" Pharmaceuticals 12, no. 2: 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph12020065
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