Essential properties of stem cells for use in clinical transplantation
| Disease | Principle function required of stem cells |
|---|---|
| Cell replacement | |
| Parkinson’s disease | Nigrostriatal dopamine neurons |
| Huntington’s disease | GABAergic striatal projection neurons |
| Alzheimer’s (and other dementias) | Diffuse neuronal replacement, including basal forebrain cholinergic |
| Multiple system atrophy (MSA) | Nigrostriatal and striatal output neurones |
| Hippocampal damage (eg global ischaemia) | Hippocampal neurones especially those of CA1 |
| Focal ischaemic damage | Broad phenotypes required; dependent on site |
| Traumatic brain injury | Broad phenotypes required; dependent on site |
| Spinal injury | Projection neurones (glutamate); remyelination |
| Amyotrophic-lateral sclerosis | Replacement of alpha motorneurons |
| Multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating conditions | Remyelination through oligodendrocytes |
| Drug delivery | |
| Epilepsy | Local GABA |
| Chronic pain | Analgesic compounds such as met-enkephalin and endorphins |
| Genetic defects, eg | Metabolic enzymes |
| Mucopolysaccaroidosis VII | β-glucuronidase |
| Tay-Sachs disease | β-hexosaminidase A |
| Intracerebral malignancy | Anti-mitotic drug; modified viruses |
| “growth factor responsive conditions” | Support of diverse neuronal populations |