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Umbilical cord blood stem cell therapy in premature brain injury: Opportunities and challenges
Author(s) -
Peng Xirui,
Song Juan,
Li Bingbing,
Zhu Changlian,
Wang Xiaoyang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.24548
Subject(s) - medicine , stem cell , cerebral palsy , stem cell therapy , umbilical cord , clinical trial , cell therapy , spinal cord injury , brain damage , intensive care medicine , bioinformatics , surgery , physical therapy , transplantation , pathology , immunology , spinal cord , psychiatry , biology , genetics
Preterm birth and associated brain injury are the primary cause of cerebral palsy and developmental disabilities and are among the most serious global health issues that modern society faces. Current therapy for infants suffering from premature brain injury is still mainly supportive, and there are no effective treatments. Thus there is a pressing need for comparative and translational studies on how to reduce brain injury and to increase regeneration and brain repair in preterm infants. There is strong supporting evidence for the use of umbilical cord blood (UCB)‐derived stem cell therapy for treating preterm brain injury and neurological sequelae. UCB‐derived stem cell therapy is effective in many animal models and has been shown to be feasible in clinical trials. Most of these therapies are still experimental, however. In this review, we focus on recent advances on the efficacy of UCB‐derived stem cell therapy in preterm infants with brain injury, and discuss the potential mechanisms behind their therapeutic effects as well as application strategies for future preclinical and clinical trials.