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Review
. 2017 Apr 15;6(1):1-12.
eCollection 2017.

A review of the emerging potential therapy for neurological disorders: human embryonic stem cell therapy

Geeta Shroff  1 , Jyoti Dhanda Titus  2 , Rhea Shroff  2
Affiliations
Review

A review of the emerging potential therapy for neurological disorders: human embryonic stem cell therapy

Geeta Shroff et al. Am J Stem Cells. .

Abstract

The first human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line was developed in the late nineties. hESCs are capable of proliferating indefinitely and differentiate into all the three embryonic germ layers. Further, the differentiation of hESC lines into neural precursor cells and neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes showed their potential in treating several incurable neurological disorders such as spinal cord injury (SCI), cerebral palsy (CP), Parkinson's disease (PD). In this review, we will discuss the global scenario of research and therapeutic use of hESCs in the treatment of neurological disorders. Following this, we will discuss the development of a unique hESC line, how it differs from the other available hESC lines and its use in the treatment of neurological disorders. hESCs were isolated from mixture of neuronal and non-neuronal progenitor cells in their pre progenitor state in a Good Laboratory Practices, Good Tissue Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices compliant laboratory. Blastomere cells have served as a source to derive the hESCs and the xeno-free culture was demonstrated to be more safe and effective in clinical therapeutic application of hESCs. All the patients showed a remarkable improvement in their conditions and no serious adverse events were reported. This study concluded that hESC lines could be scalable and used in the treatment of various neurological disorders such as SCI, CP, and PD.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; Stem cell lines; cerebral palsy; spinal cord injury; stem cell therapy; transplantation.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Steps in development of human embryonic stem cell lines.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The stage at which our hESC line is isolated.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Diagrammatic presentation of mode of action of human embryonic stem cells.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Treatment protocol for hESC therapy. *Supplemental routes used depending on the target organ: epidural infusion/caudal injection, deep spinal injection, subarachnoid injection, retro-bulbular; The dosage of the cells vary upon the type of disease, clinical condition of the patient and severity of the symptoms.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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