Stem Cell Therapy for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases are the hereditary and sporadic conditions which are characterized by progressive neuronal degeneration. Neurodegenerative diseases are emerging as the leading cause of death, disabilities, and a socioeconomic burden due to an increase in life expectancy. There are many neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and multiple sclerosis, but we have no effective treatments or cures to halt the progression of any of these diseases. Stem cell-based therapy has become the alternative option to treat neurodegenerative diseases. There are several types of stem cells utilized; embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and adult stem cell (mesenchymal stem cells and neural progenitor cells). In this review, we summarize recent advances in the treatments and the limitations of various stem cell technologies. Especially, we focus on clinical trials of stem cell therapies for major neurodegenerative diseases.This study was supported by grants from the Korea Healthcare Technology R&D Project, Ministry for Health & Welfare Affairs, Republic of Korea (HI12C0135)