Stem cell therapy has traditionally been applied to blood disorders through bone marrow transplants. However, recent advancements have opened up MSC-based therapies for a wide range of other indications.
MSCs were initially used to improve organ transplantation outcomes by targeting graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), because of their immunomodulatory properties. Now, researchers are testing MSCs in clinical trials that focus on diseases affecting various organ systems, from liver and kidneys to neurological disorders, and wound healing. The immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory features of MSCs have encouraged researchers and clinicians to target diseases believed to have an inflammatory etiology.
Some examples of how MSCs are being applied include:
- Kidney disease: MSC-derived cell therapy has been shown to improve kidney disease remission by enhancing the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and lowering blood creatinine levels after one year of treatment.
- Liver diseases: MSCs have the potential to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells, making them suitable for treating liver diseases. Bone marrow and umbilical cord-derived MSCs have shown therapeutic responses in liver cirrhosis and ischemic liver injury.
- Neurological disorders: Many neuromuscular and neurodegenerative conditions, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and some autism syndromes, are thought to be associated with inflammation. These conditions are potential targets for MSC-derived therapies due to MSCs' immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Cartilage tissue engineering: The ease of isolating and expanding MSCs, along with their multipotential differentiation capacity, particularly chondrogenic differentiation, makes them ideal for articular cartilage tissue engineering. This process aims to replace and regenerate the diseased structure in joint diseases like osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).