Stem cells in the treatment of central nervous system disease

Excerpt

Stem cells are dividing cells that exhibit potency (ability to subdivide into multiple different cells types) and self-renewal (ability to undergo multiple cell cycles without differentiation). The degree of potency can be considered as totipotent (can divide into any cell type), pluripotent (descendants of totipotent cells and can divide into cells from endoderm, mesoderm, or ectoderm), or multipotent (division is limited to cell types from a single family). Stem cells are found in embryos, cord blood, and (in adults) bone marrow and stromal tissue. In 2006, Yamanaka demonstrated that adult stem cells may be induced to form pluripotent stem cells, i.e., could increase their potency. This and other advances in stem cell research have generated increasing interest across a broad range of medical specialities because of the potential for therapeutic effects such as replacement of damaged cells, repair of damaged tissue by merging with endogenous cells, paracrine functions, and immunomodulatory effects. …