Stem Cells: Promises Versus Limitations

Abstract

Stem cells are the self-renewing progenitors of several body tissues and are classified according to their origin and their ability to differentiate. Current research focuses on the potential uses of stem cells in medicine and how they can provide effective treatment for a range of diseases. This approach has resulted in the field of medical practice called regenerative medicine. To attain the promises of regenerative medicine, it is necessary to fully understand the biology and properties of stem cells, achieve their successful differentiation into functional tissues, overcome the barriers related to immune responses after administration, and assess any oncogenic properties that limit their use. The availability of human stem cells not only raises hope for cell replacement therapies, but also provides a system for understanding the mechanisms of embryonic development and disease progression. Nevertheless, it raises ethical concerns that need to be addressed before the use of stem cells in clinical practice.

In utero transplantation of adult bone marrow decreases perinatal lethality and rescues the bone phenotype in the knockin murine model for classical, dominant osteogenesis imperfecta

“…Fetal stem cells may be tumorigenic, [22][23][24] and their use may be limited by ethical concerns. 25 Adult bone marrow contains progenitor cells for hematopoietic and mesenchymal lineages; 1,26,27 transplantation of these cells may be particularly beneficial in disorders such as OI, in which only limited lineages need to be replaced or restored. 28 IUT is considered more risky than postnatal BMT, but it may be the only option for preventing early organ failure or fetal mortality, and it may have other advantages.…”

Intrathecal delivery of bone marrow stem cells in ALS: A preliminary report

“…Adult stem cells are found within many tissues of the body. These cells can be more easily isolated from the peripheral blood or bone marrow (BM), and they remain the main source of stem cells capable of differentiation into several types, such as osteoblasts, chondrocytes, endothelial cells, glia, neurons, and skeletal and cardiac myocytes [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Several adult stem cells are available including mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) [11] and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) [12,16,17] derived from several sources, including BM, adipose tissue and umbilical cord blood.…”

Rising influence of synthetic biology in regenerative medicine

“…Such challenges include (i) the need for intercellular communication and spatiotemporal coordination within threedimensional tissue-engineered constructs [38,39]; (ii) the limited proliferative capability and plasticity of adult stem cells and the need to achieve adequate cell numbers for therapeutic applications through extensive in vitro expansion [40,41]; (iii) the nonspecific pleiotropic effects of cytokines, extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules and growth factors on lineage fate determination and cellular differentiation [42]; and finally (iv) the safety issues associated with the genetic modification of human stem cells and the use of viral vectors and recombinant DNA [43]. These clinical challenges have also been critically examined in detail elsewhere [37].…”