[Stem cell-based therapy in central nervous system diseases]

Abstract

Much of the current research into stem cell biology is focused on its potential for regeneration of various tissues and organs. Stem cell-based therapy with autologous bone marrow stem cells could provide an attractive alternative to the classical therapeutic approach in the foreseeable future. The possibility of nervous tissue regeneration in neurodegenerative disorders of the central nervous system generates a special challenge for researchers and clinicians involved in that field of medicine. Very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSEL SCs), recently discovered in murine bone marrow and human umbilical cord blood, arouse great hope. VSEL SCs display several features typical for embryonic stem cells, such as a large nucleus surrounded by a narrow rim of cytoplasm, euchromatin, and expression of pluripotent markers (Oct-4, Nanog, SSEA-4). Application of these cells in regenerative medicine could have considerable advantages over strategies using embryonic stem cells, since ethical concerns might be naturally solved. Thus, these cells can become a recommended source of stem cells for cell therapy as compared to those isolated from developing embryos.