Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
New Rochelle, NY, Oct. 24, 2017 — As the brain has limited capability for self-repair or regeneration, stem cells may represent the best therapeutic approach for counteracting damage to or degeneration of brain tissue caused by injury, aging, or disease. Although preclinical testing of stem cell therapies has shown promise, results achieved in animals are not necessarily indicative of what will occur in patients, and clinical studies in humans have been limited in size and number. The potential value of stem cells and emerging therapeutic agents in neurodegenerative diseases are the focus of an article published in Rejuvenation Research, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Rejuvenation Research website until November 24, 2017.
Martina Nasello, Giuseppe Schirò, Floriana Crapanzano, and Carmela Rita Balistreri, University of Palermo, Italy, review the published literature and the most recent data evaluating the effectiveness of stem cells and other potential therapeutic compounds in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative pathologies. They describe their findings in the article entitled "Stem Cells and Other Emerging Agents as Innovative 'Drugs' in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Benefits and Limitations."
The researchers discuss the potential advantages and obstacles for using different types of stem cells, including embryonic (ESC), mesenchymal (MSC), induced pluripotent (iPSC), and neuronal (NSC) stem cells as therapeutic agents. They also present the evidence to support further study of compounds such as metformin and melatonin hybrids, and of natural antioxidants including resveratrol, curcumin, and acetyl-L-carnitine.
"Especially at late stages, the main chronic neurodegenerative conditions of old age are characterized by the loss of neurons that the body does not replace; we need stem cell therapies to do that replacement," says Editor-in-Chief Aubrey D.N.J. de Grey, SENS Research Foundation, Mountain View, CA. Stem cells also secrete rejuvenating factors that can restore the health of stressed cells at an earlier stage in such diseases. Nasello et al. provide a terrific survey of where we stand and what remains to be developed in this critical area for the health of older people."
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About the Journal
Rejuvenation Research is the premier peer-reviewed journal providing cutting-edge research on rejuvenation therapies in the laboratory and clinic. Led by Editor-in-Chief Aubrey D.N.J. de Grey, PhD, SENS Foundation, Mountain View, CA, the Journal provides key explorations and advances that may ultimately contribute to slowing or reversing the aging process, and covers topics such as cardiovascular aging, DNA damage and repair, cloning, and cell immortalization and senescence. Rejuvenation Research is the Official Journal of the European Society of Preventive, Regenerative and Anti-Aging Medicine (ESAAM) and the World Federation & World Virtual Institute of Preventive & Regenerative Medicine (PYRAMED). Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Rejuvenation Research website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Stem Cells and Development, Cellular Reprogramming, DNA and Cell Biology, and Human Gene Therapy. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
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Original Source
http://www.liebertpub.com/global/pressrelease/does-stem-cell-therapy-offer-the-best-hope-for-neurodegenerative-diseases/2277/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/rej.2017.1946
