Stem cell therapies for age associated neurodegeneration

Abstract

Regenerative medicine is the newly emerging field of this decade, namely, stem cell therapeutics. Interestingly, the field of stem cell therapeutics has been around for decades, such as the treatment of Leukemia using bone marrow transplantations; however, little momentum has been generated in the field until recently. During this predominantly stationary period of the regenerative movement, many issues have been debated regarding stem cell therapeutics. Many questions to these past issues are now starting to rise to the forefront due to breakthrough research being conducted in the regenerative field: Adult versus embryonic stem cell populations, ethics, ease of access to these populations, and, more importantly, what types of diseased states can these stem cell populations be effective in? In order to answer this last question, it is imperative to understand not only basic stem cell pathologies but also the pathological conditions of the diseased state to be treated. Perhaps one of the most challenging to overcome is Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative condition characterized by a predominant loss of adult stem cell populations. What makes AD a challenge is the need to overcome both the natural effects of aging as well as the caustic environmental conditions. In order to introduce new neuronal networking through stem cell therapeutics, a better understanding of the pathological environment is needed. With new and upcoming technology, such as induced pluripotent stem cells, used to produce neural cells from somatic cells, and small molecular compounds which increase endogenous stem cell populations, it will be possible to perform autologous regenerative therapies, thus providing potential cures for age-related diseases such as AD.