Neural stem cells (NSCs) intrinsically migrate to sites of brain tumors, and engineered NSCs offer a promising mechanism for local delivery of therapeutic agents. While many groups have observed that therapeutically modified NSCs migrate selectively to glioma foci, quantitative assessments of NSC migration efficiency and local distribution at tumor sites, as well as tumor coverage estimated for the therapeutics delivered by these NSCs, have been difficult to perform. In this article, we present a quantitative analysis of immunostained serially sectioned formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) brain tissue across multiple test animals, thereby providing a paradigm facilitating optimization of this and other cell-based therapies.
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Cell Therapy in Parkinson's Disease: Host Brain Repair Machinery Gets a Boost From Stem Cell Grafts
This commentary highlights the major findings and future research directions arising from the recent STEM CELLS publication by Zuo and colleagues. The authors discuss the novel observations that transplanted human neural stem cells can induce endogenous brain repair by specifically stimulating a host of regenerative processes in the neurogenic niche (i.e., subventricular zone [SVZ]) in an animal model of Parkinson's disease. That the identified therapeutic proteomes, neurotrophic factors, and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the SVZ may facilitate brain regeneration and behavioral recovery open a new venue of research for our understanding of the pathology and treatment of Parkinson's disease.
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June 4, 2017
A new study describes how hypoxia induces stem-like characteristics in brain tumor cells through the modulation of the chromatin environment of pluripotency-associated genes
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June 26, 2017
A new means to generate Down Syndrome specific iPSCs may lead to enhanced cell-based treatments for associated pathologies and a deeper understanding of disease development
June 26, 2017
New research indicates that adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells alters their immunomodulatory capabilities, with consequences for inflammatory disorders
June 18, 2017
Researchers investigate the role of the Smarca5 chromatin remodelling factor in hematopoiesis using a new conditional knockout animal model
