The role of stem cell therapy in multiple sclerosis: An overview of the current status of the clinical studies

• Main Authors: Rokhsareh Meamar, Shahrzad Nematollahi, Leila Dehghani, Omid Mirmosayyeb, Vahid Shayegannejad, Keivan Basiri, Amir Pouya Tanhaei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2016-01-01
• Series: Advanced Biomedical Research
• Subjects: Cell therapy and transplantation; clinical trial; hematopoietic stem cells; mesenchymal stem cells; multiple sclerosis; neural stem/precursor cells; stem cells
• Online Access: http://www.advbiores.net/article.asp?issn=2277-9175;year=2016;volume=5;issue=1;spage=46;epage=46;aulast=Meamar

The complexity of multiple sclerosis (MS) and the incompetence of a large number of promised treatments for MS urge us to plan new and more effective therapeutic approaches that aim to suppress ongoing autoimmune responses and induction of local endogenous regeneration. Emerging data propose that hematopoietic, mesenchymal, and neural stem cells have the potential to restore self-tolerance, provide in situ immunomodulation and neuroprotection, as well as promote regeneration. Thus, in this article, we will first provide an overview of the cell sources for proposed mechanisms that contribute to the beneficial effects of stem cell transplantation, the ideal route and/or timing of stem cell-based therapies for each main stem cell group, and finally, an overview of the current status of stem cell research in clinical trial stages in MS by comparable and healthy therapeutic effects of different stem cell therapies for MS patients.