Stem cell-based therapy for human diseases

Abstract

Recent advancements in stem cell technology open a new door for patients suffering from diseases and disorders that have yet to be treated. Stem cell-based therapy, including human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), has recently emerged as a key player in regenerative medicine. hPSCs are defined as self-renewable cell types conferring the ability to differentiate into various cellular phenotypes of the human body, including three germ layers. MSCs are multipotent progenitor cells possessing self-renewal ability (limited in vitro) and differentiation potential into mesenchymal lineages, according to the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT). This review provides an update on recent clinical applications using either hPSCs or MSCs derived from bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue (AT), or the umbilical cord (UC) for the treatment of human diseases, including neurological disorders, pulmonary dysfunctions, metabolic/endocrine-related diseases, reproductive disorders, skin burns, and cardiovascular conditions. Moreover, we discuss our own clinical trial experiences on targeted therapies using MSCs in a clinical setting, and we propose and discuss the MSC tissue origin concept and how MSC origin may contribute to the role of MSCs in downstream applications, with the ultimate objective of facilitating translational research in regenerative medicine into clinical applications. The mechanisms discussed here support the proposed hypothesis that BM-MSCs are potentially good candidates for brain and spinal cord injury treatment, AT-MSCs are potentially good candidates for reproductive disorder treatment and skin regeneration, and UC-MSCs are potentially good candidates for pulmonary disease and acute respiratory distress syndrome treatment.

Umbilical cord blood-derived cell therapy for perinatal brain injury: A systematic review & meta-analysis of preclinical studies - Part B

“…[17] Numerous cell types comprise UCB including HSCs, MSCs, Tregs, monocytes and EPCs. [81] In our review, all four outcomes which demonstrated statistically significant differences between UCB cell types were associated with a favoured modification of treatment effect in MSCs over MNCs. Our review provides further neuropathological support for UCB-MSCs as a potential therapeutic option for infants with perinatal brain injury.…”

JAK2/STAT3 pathway mediates neuroprotective and pro-angiogenic treatment effects of adult human neural stem cells in middle cerebral artery occlusion stroke animal models

“…Therefore, the safety and efficacy of several possible dose levels should be tested in phase I and II clinical trials. Furthermore, the relationship between dose and therapeutic effects needs to be elucidated in pre-clinical settings, by which the minimum effective and saturation levels of the therapeutic agent could be derived [ 56 , 57 ]. In this study, only one dose of ahNSCs was tested for the treatment of ischemic stroke.…”

Breakthrough of extracellular vesicles in pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis

“…The fate of the cells after drug administration, especially the long-term survival of allogeneic cells during treatment, affects their efficacy. At the same time, there are always some dead cells in cell products, which themselves and their secretions have a worrying impact on the health of patients [ 180 ]. Although many methods have been designed to pretreat MSCs before transplantation to solve these problems, including inflammatory cytokines, hypoxia, drugs, biomaterials and different culture conditions [ 181 ], it is difficult to provide quality assurance for clinical MSC [ 182 ].…”