Safety of Neural Stem Cell Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often result in disability in survivors. Unresolved inflammation and ongoing neurodegeneration are thought to underlie injury-induced disability. Central nervous system in mammals is incapable of self-repair and the reasons are poorly understood. Apart from rehabilitation, there is no therapeutic modality to mitigate disability after TBI. Human neural stem cells (NSCs) are attractive candidates as both modulators of inflammation and candidate for cell replacement. One agent to address two goals. Over the past two decades, several preclinical studies at academic institutions and academic-industry partnership clinical trials have contributed significantly to our knowledge base. However, such efforts are not yet relevant in the clinic. While it takes time to bring a preclinical product to clinic, certain members of the community set aside their medical training principles and rush to offer unproven, often hazardous cell therapies to desperate patients. Such behavior is distraction and this article focuses on an impediment to clinical application of human neural stem cells to mitigate TBI effects.