IMR Press / FBE / Volume 4 / Issue 3 / DOI: 10.2741/e449

Frontiers in Bioscience-Elite (FBE) is published by IMR Press from Volume 13 Issue 2 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Review

Genetically modified stem cells for the treatment of neurological diseases

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1 Laboratory for Neurogenetics and Developmental Genetics, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Salata 12, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
2 Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 808 route de Lennik, 1070 Bruxelles, Belgium
3 Division of Neuroanatomy, Medical University of Innsbruck, Muellerstrasse 59, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
4 Unite Retrovirus et Transfert Genetique, INSERM U622, Departement de Neuroscience, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

 

Front. Biosci. (Elite Ed) 2012, 4(3), 1170–1181; https://doi.org/10.2741/e449
Published: 1 January 2012
Abstract

The central nervous system has a very poor regenerative potential and is difficult to access. This partly explains why neurological diseases often lack appropriate therapeutic options and represent the most significant burden for healthcare systems. Progress in understanding the molecular background of neurological diseases requires innovative approaches offering new hope for the patients. One of the most intriguing and promising options is the combination of stem cells with gene therapy. Unlike fibroblasts, stem cells exhibit a high tropism for diseaseaffected tissue and integrate into the nervous tissue. This makes them ideal candidates for the production and delivery of molecules of interest for treating the nervous system. This article reviews the methodology for obtaining pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as precursors for neuronal cells, glial cells and the current state of the art in applications of genetically modified stem cells in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, axonal damage, tumors and epilepsy.

Keywords
stem cells
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
iPSCs
Gene Transfection
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Stroke
Brain Tumors
Epilepsy
Review
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